The Servant: The Diablos Saga
by Piccolo Sky
Summary: The untold story of Bahamut. In this fifth installment, the finding of the Shrine of the Guardian Forces means the return of the espers...as well as something far more foul...
1. The Well

It's finally here!

I'm back off my hiatus (during which I wrote "Guilty Gear: The Missing Link" if you want to read it) and back to writing "The Servant". I've actually been writing it for a while. This early part of the story, in my opinion, runs a bit slowly. I tried to keep things moving as much as possible until the "good" parts. I'm just starting to get into them in my writing, but there's a few chapters before that. This is the first. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

**THE DIABLOS SAGA**

* * *

_Five Years Later_

* * *

"I hope you can help us out with this, buddy. Because we're at a loss."

The figure addressed said nothing in response. He stood still as one of the demolition crew members of the New Shinra HQ Dome turned to the ground and opened a trap door that had been deployed there. After doing so, he reached over and turned a switch on a machine, letting temporary lights that had been installed on the other side come on and illuminate the area.

There was a bit more sunlight here now. After five years of demolition, the original Dome shape of the New Shinra's HQ was a massive gutted indentation. The center had been stripped and removed. And since this was the center, that meant that sunlight was now free to pour down into the deep crater that had once been the sub-basements of the Dome. All around them at a distance, rising for hundreds of feet, was the edges of the remaining Dome. They were rubbled and fragmented now, torn apart by countless hours of manpower tearing them down. They still had their structure, but they were not yet far enough away from the center to spare those there the sound of machinery humming and tools working.

This was the former sub-basement, and as a result those gathered here were far below the surface of the ground. One could hardly tell, however, with how large and open it now was. There was only a ridge of visible ground for reference surrounding the center, and the workers were tearing apart this deeply around them as well as above them.

Five people were gathered in the center at the moment. Three were workers who had been there for a while. One of them was the man who had first driven too deep with his jackhammer and had found the entrance to where they were. After calling his foreman over, and after getting more people to do some further work, they began to find something far more extensive. At first they thought it was a strangely-shaped sinkhole…but then they started to see things in it on closer investigation that looked unnatural and far older than a mako sinkhole. They had "spruced" it up a bit, giving it lights and covering the entrance with a trap door, as well as a later modification down below. But other than that, they had left it be. They weren't sure what to make of it. They should have been happy. It was, after all, probably a massive archeological find. However…that place had made the workers nervous. Everyone seemed more on edge now who hung around that area. Soon, people were working extra hard to put distance between themselves at the spot, and everyone signed up for areas as far away from it as possible. Something about it made them uncomfortable…

That was why the master foreman, once he started getting excuses of fear for unfinished quotas, had requested the presence of a certain man. Although he wouldn't recognize Cetra architecture from Lufenian calligraphy, he had a feeling that people who were archeologists would have a better time making sense out of what they had found. To that end, he had found out that a particular VIP was doing archeological work in the City of the Ancients. Mistaking this place for just another "Ancient site", he had called the man in to check it out. After getting some details, the man had brought along one of the better geologists he had working with him and came.

And now…Ragnar Vice stood on the edge looking down into this new pit in the world.

That's what it looked like, now that it was illuminated. Just a deep, cylindrical, vertical pit…stretching hundreds of feet down into oblivion. He turned his head over the edge, and could just barely see the bottom far below. It was rather dizzing, like something out of a fantasy world. No wonder it had made the workers uncomfortable. Even as he was, and after all he had seen in his life, he was dizzy himself.

Yet there was no way that this place was natural…unless it had been a victim of cosmic odds. That was because a great circular staircase was made into the edges of it. The stairs were not put into the sides, but rather rose from the ground below, forming a series of concentric circles leading to the bottom while simultaneously narrowing the shaft. That only made it more mystifying and eerie.

Ragnar's geologist, a young student named Rex, was far more bewildered than he was, and far more on edge as well. However, he let his curiosity take control of him. It was a desire to learn about strange materials and geological events that led him north to study how the fascinating City of the Ancients could have naturally arisen. Here was another phenomenon. He was a bit wiry, with messy hair and oversized glasses. Picture of a science nerd, but good at what he did. He leaned down to the sides of the pit, and reached out and felt the rock. He leaned a bit closer on doing so, and scrutinized it a bit better.

"This rock isn't anything like the surrounding strata." He mentioned aloud. "It's layered with sediment…kind of like caverns with stalagtites and stalagmites. A lot of water has to have found its way to it over time, and run down these edges. It has to be tens of thousands of years old at least. But there's no underground stream here that wouldn't have been frozen off. My guess is that some of the seismic activity that occurred around the siege of the Dome drove this up to the level where the workers could find it."

The three demolition men turned and looked to Rex with some puzzlement. Ragnar himself looked down a bit with an eyebrow raised. "You found out all that just from looking at this?"

The young man looked back up, and pushed his glasses back against his head with a shrug. "Well, a lot of it is just theory. But it would have made sense as to why the New Shinra didn't run across this earlier. Of course…that only makes the situation weirder. If this thing did get forced up, how come it didn't get wrecked during the upheaval? It has all this empty space in it, after all. It must have been capped in some way by the same material the sides are made out of. Yet I've got no idea what that is."

"That's still more than we know already." One of the workers answered. "Come on. But watch your step. These stairs are pretty smooth."

The worker stepped forward and took the lead in walking down the tunnel. Ragnar and Rex quickly fell in behind. Soon after, the last two workers came.

It didn't take long for the climate to change. It seemed far drier and cooler. It was rather pleasant actually. The air was surprisingly fresh, considering how long this area had to be under the ground. This, of course, only made Ragnar more curious. He had been to places under the ground before, and usually it took something rather special to make the air this fresh. Usually, it was a place that was brimming with life…like the crystal shrine beneath the City of the Ancients. Yet he somehow doubted this was made by the Cetra…

"Pardon me…" One of the workers suddenly spoke up. "But did you just say that this place had to be tens of thousands of years old? I ain't no historian, but I know staircases haven't been around that long."

"Nevertheless, that's the case." The student answered, already turning to the sides of the pit and examining the wall again. "This sedimentation proves it. If it wasn't for the nature of the stairs, we'd probably see stalagtites hanging down around here. Of course…this does confuse me. Who would have built this structure that long ago?"

"Aliens?" One of the workers ventured.

Based on his knowledge of ancient planet history, Ragnar knew that was actually a more valid guess than the worker probably realized. However, given the age, he doubted it. Over ten thousand years ago had been another age…one that not even the espers knew very much of. During that time, this place could have been made. Of course, the thought that it had survived that long in Gaia's turbulent history since that moment was amazing. About the only chance it would have had was buried deep underground, and even that wasn't entirely safe. This was interesting…

The five slowly made their way down the long spiral staircase. True to what Ragnar had believed, it was rather dizzying. Yet he held on, and kept walking down the long path. He kept an eye on his surroundings as he went. The part of him that was Cetra could detect that there was a strong amount of spiritual energy down here…yet of what nature it was he had no idea. He had never sensed anything like this before in his brief time with his powers awakened. Aerith might have had a better idea…but she was hundreds of miles away in Edge at the moment. Voices were beginning to grow more distinct as he lowered…and he knew they were from the Lifestream. But something was unusual about them…something he couldn't put his finger on. He'd need time to listen more closely…

As they continued to lower, things began to appear on the walls. Though they had been covered with sediment long ago and were hardly distinguishable, the vague outline of lettering appeared to raise off of the rock wall. It looked like something had once been imprinted there.

"I don't suppose you've got any idea what this says, do you?" The first worker asked, gesturing to the letters as he turned to Ragnar.

The man frowned and shook his head. Unfortunately, it was likely that no one knew what this said anymore. Cosmo Canyon had records dating back to the early years of the Third Age, but before that there was next to nothing. This likely dated back that far. His own innate ability to understand the Cetra language extended only to, of course, the Cetra language. Either this was something different or a dialect so old that even he couldn't figure it out. It seemed as much gibberish to him as everyone else.

They seemed to descend forever. With each run around the chamber, they saw it get a bit smaller. It eventually shrank down to such a small diameter that two people on either side of the pit could stretch out and touch hands with one another if they wanted. So now it wasn't only dizzying and confusing, but also bad for those with claustrophobia. Luckily, they were almost there by the time they got to that point. A few moments later, and they touched down on the bottom.

Here, they stopped. Ragnar and Rex were allowed to look over to what they had come to. Ragnar had seen it as he had been descending, but he had used the time to study the walls. The lower they went, the sharper the writing on the wall seemed…although all was still covered with rock sediment. However, something else had been happening. Water had obviously been running down these walls for thousands of years, creating this whole pattern. But toward the bottom, they seemed to focus. Apparently, the walls had some sort of fine designs in them that caused the water, even after all these years, to separate into more distinct parts. Large rifts were in the sedimentation on the wall, indicating where the water had separated out into more distinct strains. One could reason that this was a trick of fate…but it didn't look that way. They seemed almost equidistant from one another…as if they had been designed to form these strains… Each one formed a short stalactite that touched the floor. To Ragnar's intrigue, each one seemed to end on a small hole on the ground, which formed a circle around the bottom.

However, he had spent enough time watching this. Now he focused on what the bottom possessed. Some circular, sedimented slab was on the ground. It looked almost like some sort of cap or covering. It had been moved recently. He could see fractured stone on the sides from where it had been pried loose. The workers had attached hinges and some sort of opening mechanism to it in order to move it at will.

One pointed to it. "You see how we rigged it up. It was a pain in the ass, too. We drilled first, and it went into the stone easy enough…but then we hit something that busted all the bits. Whatever this thing is made out of is as strong as steel. We worked around it as best we could though. We can get in easy now. You won't believe what's on the bottom."

Yet Ragnar only half-listened to this. He finally saw something that was useful.

The hub stone had rather large writing on it, the biggest thus far. Somehow, the sediment hadn't covered it enough to be completely obscured. Yet fate hadn't been the only thing that had kept it clean. Rex soon realized the same thing Ragnar did…that this hub had been cleaned off at one point.

One point was an understatement. Someone had indeed cleaned the sedimentary stone off of it and read the letters…but whoever had done it had done so thousands of years ago. It was covered up with considerable layers again. Still…they were still visible. And Ragnar knew that the one who had uncovered it hadn't been just anyone…but a Cetra. That was because the person had put their own lettering underneath the original writing. At that point in history, the Cetra must have possessed the ability to read this language, and wanted future generations to read it. Ragnar was indebted to this mysterious benefactor, for though this language was covered with sediment as well he could read it.

The man leaned over the hub slightly, garnering the attention of everyone else in the chamber. They realized he saw something, and turned to see what he was looking at. Ragnar hesitated a moment, getting a better look at the characters, but then reached out with a finger and ran along them as he read aloud what it said.

"The Well of the Guardian Forces."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "Cetra characters? Lucky break for us, I guess. So you know what this place is?"

Ragnar frowned and shook his head. "I haven't the slightest idea. Nothing ever mentioned a well or Guardian Forces in my readings…whatever those are. I'd be inclined to think this isn't a place we should be, if it wasn't for the fact that these guys have gone into it once."

"Maybe you'll get a better idea of what it is once you look inside." The first worker spoke. "We sure as hell don't know what to make of it." With that said, he reached over to the machine and pressed a button.

The engine and workings sputtered, but then began to roar to life. With a great grinding sound like millstones, the hub stone was slowly pulled aside and off of what it protected.

Ragnar soon began to see the edges of a hole form, and light beneath it. It wasn't just any sort of light, however. It was the natural illumination that was found inside special areas with the City of the Ancients. Whether this had always been there, or the last Cetra explorer had put it there, was a mystery to him. All he knew was that it allowed him to see down there much better than before. This wasn't industrial light, but natural.

Yet lighting was soon the least of his thoughts. As the hub stone was moved…voices came again. They were far stronger this time, and far more distinct than before. And yet, something was still different. He couldn't tell what, but it seemed almost as if these voices didn't realize they were being listened to. And it wasn't the sound of the Lifestream, where random spirits formed a collective consciousness. It sounded almost like individuals…certain ones out of the whole of the Lifestream that were being drawn inward toward this place. It was such a strange effect that Ragnar had a hard time concentrating on reality…

The hub stone finished moving to one side. Immediately, the first worker stepped over the edge and began to go down. A metal extension ladder had been set up, allowing those overhead to enter at will. They didn't have far to go. The chamber that had been revealed below them was a great bi-convex disk, like some natural bowl. There was sedimentation down there as well, despite having been covered for obviously a long time. It was very smooth down there, looking almost polished and crafted to perfection. Whether that was its original appearance or not was a mystery lost to the ages. It wasn't perfect. Ragnar could see a few breaks in rock and fractures from water and time. Yet he didn't hesitate there. He soon went down the hole as well, and Rex and the other workers followed.

The man soon touched bottom and began to look around himself. He was soon fully amazed by what was around him.

This strange ellipsis chamber wasn't that large. It could barely fit the five men who were now inside. It was lit up just like the places within the City of the Ancients. Eight beacons of fair green light were places around the room, casting an eternal glow to illuminate the chamber. It was just pale enough to prevent distorting the color completely.

Yet what was the most incredible of all were the walls. The edges of the chamber had what looked like natural rock formations in them that made "racks" of a sort. Positioned over them were the holes in the ceiling that had come from the floor above. Over the ages, more stalactites had formed from the holes, causing long stony spikes to extend down and over the racks.

And here was the strangest thing of all. There was no question now that the water had formed the pattern overhead by intention and not accident. That was because each stalactite terminated over the stone rack…and a very small stone bowl. The bowls alone lacked sedimentation. Each one was simple and small, looking like a drinking receptacle from an earlier time. Ragnar could see each stalactite had a tiny drop of water on the end, hovering over each bowl. The water didn't look like it was moving anywhere. Indeed, it took decades for enough water to trickle down to form a drop big enough to drip into the bowl below. The bowls that were there had been collecting it for millennia.

Each bowl itself had just enough water in it to form a drink for one who might chance to pick it up. Of course, it didn't look like it was for drinking. This looked like some sort of sacred shrine. Only instead of candles, it had these bowls of water. Despite how much sediment had to be in the rock, Ragnar was surprised to find that each bowl contained only clear, pure water. Somehow, the water had left all of its sediment on the growing stalactites, and had left the water below pure and crystal clear.

Etched into the rock behind each bowl was a single symbol. Each one was different, and Ragnar had no idea what they meant. He didn't stare at them long, however. He looked around the chamber and counted up the bowls instead. There were eighteen in all, each with a different symbol behind them. After making this survey, he turned back to Rex. The geologist was marveling over one of the bowls of water, noticing how pure it was.

"This is weird…" He said out loud, noting the clarity.

Ragnar began to approach him. For some reason…he didn't like the idea of him touching the water in one of the bowls.

Yet as the man drew nearer…he noticed something else. Before, he had been in the center of the room. He sensed voices that were specific, but they were still muddled. Now, as he neared one of these bowls…he sensed something more. The voices were suddenly tuned out until only four or five of them came forth…and two of those were stronger than the others. It was like some sort of radio signal, only it was one that was tuning spirits. To Ragnar's surprise…it was as if whatever these bowls were somehow fine tuned spirits…focusing reception on one of them. And yet, he wasn't trying to listen to anything. So what was doing this? Was it the bowl itself?

This was peculiar. Though he had no idea what any of this was, the man wanted to find out. He didn't have much knowledge on his own to work with, but he had powerful connections.

"Rex."

The geologist stopped just short of touching the water, and turned around to his boss.

"Get a sample of this rock and try to find out what it's made of." He instructed him. "I'm going to go back topside and make a few calls. I feel like bringing some other people in on this."

* * *

"I'll bet you're the worst mage in school!" 

"Shut up! I am not!"

"I bet you can't even do Fire!"

"I...I don't need to do Fire! I can mute you before you can cast it!"

"Then why don't you do it?"

"...Uh..."

"Come on, chicken!"

"I'm not a chicken!"

"I'm going to cast Fire on you at the count of three... You better mute me!"

"You're going to what, Alex?"

The two children who had been bickering in the playground area immediately froze up. One lost his bold look entirely, while the other one turned into a different sort of fear. Slowly, the two of them turned around to look to the voice that had sounded out behind them. Their worst fears were realized when they saw the form of Matron Aerith standing behind them, looking down on both with her normally gentle expression, but also a rather hard and disciplinary air present in her eyes and mouth.

The rest of the children on the playground were indifferent to the situation, continuing to chase each other around, play on the swingset or slide that had been installed, and generally enjoy "outdoor time". Aerith normally watched the children outside at this time of day. It was inner city, after all, and most of the children needed supervisors due to their ages. A chain-link fence had been built around the playground portion of their "complex", but one still had to make sure that they wouldn't try to get out. In the five years that they had been open, only two children had ever attempted to run away. Aerith wouldn't admit this herself, but anyone who looked around could see that she had a very "motherly" nature about her, which tended to make the children stay close to her. That eliminated the need to worry about runaways. Children like Ran might be miserable some times for being picked on, but rarely did they get to the point where they wanted to leave Aerith. The orphans clung to her, and those with parents enjoyed being around her regardless. (In some cases, it was preferable to their parents...) Nevertheless, that didn't stop people from getting in if they wanted to.

Yet there was another important reason that Aerith went out...and that was for what was happening right now. Occasionally, kids seemed to "forget" the rules about magic not being allowed outside of the classrooms...

Aerith watched patiently as Alex tried to think of an explanation. He stammered and stared at her as he did so. She did have a way with the children, and sometimes, just by looking at them, she would make them feel so ashamed that they would bow their heads and confess. Alex, however, was a bit older, and he had been a bit of a "troublemaker" in the past, although Aerith never referred to any of the children in that way. In the end, he tried to make something up.

"Um...er...we...we were just...just playing a game, Matron...and I just wanted...wanted Ran to...to run a race with me...at the count of three..."

Aerith raised an eyebrow at this. "Did you, now?"

"Um...yeah..." Alex managed to answer, although the hesitancy of his voice was all that Aerith needed to hear.

The Cetra stared at him a moment, but then turned her gaze over to Ran. "Is that what happened, Ran?"

Ran answered by bowing his head and keeping silent. Ran showed some tact in "pleading the fifth" when it came to things like this. Aerith was smart enough to realize that children had the unwritten rule where you didn't tattle on others. In the case of children like Ran, it wasn't just a rule. It was a threat. He was little enough to get picked on by older boys when adults weren't looking. It wouldn't go well for him if they thought he had told on them, and they decided to get revenge... It was better for him to keep quiet, and let Aerith draw her own conclusions.

The Cetra looked back to Alex. For a moment, he seemed someone hopeful, and had an innocent expression. Perhaps Aerith would buy silence as an agreement. However, Aerith merely let out a sigh instead, and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Alex...I told you before to stop telling lies."

Ran's face relaxed considerably as he looked back up. Alex, on the other hand, paled a bit more as he turned meeker looking.

"I heard you two talking over there." Aerith continued. "I knew what happened. I just wanted to see if you would tell the truth. And I believe I told you to stop giving Ran a hard time as well. And I told _everyone_ that magic isn't allowed outside of classrooms. Why did you break three of the rules, Alex?"

Alex's face pursed. "But..." He tried to protest. Aerith actually gave him a few moments of silence, willing to let him say something if he thought it would make a difference. However, there was nothing he could say. He eventually closed his mouth, and then bowed his own head. Now, he began to look as ashamed as the other kids did. He knew there was only one answer to Aerith's question. It was the simple reason that since he thought the Matron's back was turned, the rules didn't apply to him.

Aerith sighed again and uncrossed her arms. "Alex, you're going to be standing next to me quietly for the rest of Outdoor Time. You're not to talk with anyone else. Once time is up, you will walk in with me and I'll discuss your punishment. But first, what do you say to Ran?"

The boy continued to keep his head bowed and tried to look small. However, he managed a weak turn over to the boy next to him. Though mostly closed lips, he managed out a tiny apology to him. "...Sorry."

"Alright." Aerith answered. After this, she turned back to Ran. "Ran, you can go back to playing. Alex, you come over with me."

The smaller boy immediately turned and ran off. As for Alex, he waited until Aerith turned back to her place against the wall where she had been standing, and then solemnly followed her back to her spot.

Aerith suppressed yet another sigh as she walked. She hated the discipline portion of this job. She herself had never received much in the way of discipline growing up, but that was because she had never needed it. She always did as she was told, except at times when she needed to do something like going to the store or gathering flowers for sale. She was scolded for this, but usually she was able to reason with her foster mother why she had gone and done it, and on doing so she could find no argument with her and waved punishment. It wasn't until Aerith had become a mother of two herself, and an "unofficial mother" of some thirty more that she really got a grasp of how different kids could be. And unfortunately, sometimes they did need to be punished to learn consequences for their actions.

There weren't this many when the orphanage/school/shelter opened. Initially, they had a hard time convincing all of the candidates to come there. They only managed to gather about ten. At first, it was shaky going. Tifa and Cloud had some experience with orphan children and care, but actually boarding ten of them was a bit of a new venue. Aerith and Ragnar had to learn a bit themselves, in particular Aerith...seeing as this was her idea.

Luckily, the female Cetra was perfectly suited. She was a natural when it came to children. Standoffish children instinctively trusted her. She seemed to always be able to connect with them emotionally right off of the bat. Her nature attracted them to her. She spent a lot of time with them, and as a result the children almost always felt right at home in a matter of days. The two runaways had both been children who had just gotten there. After they had been picked up and taken back, it only took a few more days before they felt right at home, along with the others. As the case with Ran, some were more well behaved than others, or at least fit in better than others. But all of them wanted to stay eventually. After all, even if they didn't get along with other people so well, everyone got along with Aerith. There wasn't a child who didn't eventually like her.

The first ones in had been orphans. They were found easily. As it turned out, the children formerly afflicted with the Geostigma turned out to be most of the ones experiencing new phenomena and unexplained powers. Some were setting off emergency devices where they stayed. Some put other people to sleep when they sang. Some experienced wild periods of blindness and deafness for no apparent medical reason. But the first ten were the easiest to find. These were the orphans that had taken to hanging around the Seventh Heaven. They remembered Cloud and Tifa from years ago when the Geostigma was cured, and since many other people in the area branded them as freaks both from their first afflictions and now due to their new powers, they had no choice but to leave or hang around the two adults who accepted them. That two had become four since Ragnar and Aerith had moved in. When they offered to board them permanently, the younger children leapt at the chance to have a roof over their heads and regular meals. The older ones had a bit harder time giving up their free life, but because they trusted Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith they hung around, and usually dire straights eventually forced them to stay at least for a little while, and they ended up staying permanantly in the end. These ones, who had never experienced a loving environment, flourished under Aerith's motherly care and Tifa's kindness, and so they did well.

After being open for a few months, and getting out some first-hand accounts from many of the children, their name began to get around. In particular, word started to circulate at how the orphanage was doubling as a sort of school for children with "special abilities". When that happened, they continued to take in orphans, but also children with parents.

Some were good. Parents would show up with worried expressions, and would tell the story of how their child had been causing strange things to happen at home, stores, and/or school. Sometimes it would be popping lids off of all the bottles in the house, or sometimes freezing the pipes inside so that they would burst, or even one case where classmates at school had been afflicted with poisonous boils. They would ask for help. Most of them wanted to know if there was a way to stop this from happening. Only one or two had gone so far as to ask how to control it. So far, none had wanted the power developed. At any rate, these were the good ones. Tifa, who handled a lot of the business end, would usually talk to them and tell them that the children would have to remain there for a period of months on end, like any normal boarding school. They could visit home on summers or winter vacations.

But not all of these were that simple. Some of the children would have parents...but they would still be living on the streets. These were usually more poverty-stricken children, although by no means were all of them that way. A few were actually from well-to-do ones. In this case, their parents had either chased them from their homes or they had fled when they couldn't take home life anymore. Through various methods, they found their way toward the orphanage and sought refuge. Many were bruised and dirty, and quite a few were hungry or thirsty. Some had broken bones. These children were admitted immediately, even if they couldn't always cope with them. They hadn't turned away a child yet. However, the story would always be the same for them. In these cases, the parents themselves had turned against them, turning to abuse and sometimes threatening lives.

In only three of these cases did the parents come and try and pick up their children. Out of these few, only one had been with parents with tears in their eyes, begging forgiveness, and pleading to be able to see their child and allow her to be brought home. In that particular case, negotiations had followed, and eventually they arranged for her to stay there. In most cases, they simply left them and never sought them out. Once they had come...but in a violent temper. They demanded to see their child to the tune of many curses and threats. The boy they wanted to see had come in malnourished and with multiple broken bones, and Aerith was forced to employ some of her own miraculous healing abilities to help. When the Cetra tried to intervene against the parents, they threatened her. Although she was more than capable of it, Aerith never let the thought cross her mind that this couple was a mere set of insects compared to her overwhelming power, but instead let Cloud come out and "escort" them away. Needless to say, they hadn't been allowed near the complex since.

In many ways, they were like an orphanage or boarding school. They had rooms that four children could share at a time, and each one was allowed to name and maintain a little "grouping" among members within said room. They had scheduled times that they had to be up by, and times for meals, classroom learning, indoor and outdoor recreation, among other things, including when they had to be in bed. They had play areas that they could spend their free time in, and they had books and games and toys of various sorts. There were classes that taught basics of reading and writing and mathematics. Aerith and the others weren't the best teachers in the world, but they had picked up some textbooks with teacher's editions that told them most of what they needed to know.

However, this was all secondary to the main reasons the children were there. Each and every one of them had demonstrated an innate talent for magic. By now, it was no longer just a rumor or fantasy. The world was growing aware that people were demonstrating real talents for new, amazing abilities. More people were showing up every day that could do strange and unexplainable things around them. More and more incidents of strange phenomena were occuring. Light bulbs shattering... Electric shocks from wood... Even goldfish temporarily turning into frogs. At first, only the tabloids had published news like this. But now it was appearing in more mainstream reports. Pundits were beginning to speak on it. Very soon, it would reach a high enough level to enter the political sphere of the world. But before that would happen...fear was breeding. The more people that realized these powers were not just fantasies but real, the more people began to react with suspicion and unease...and from that grew fear. From the fear, anger was beginning to form. Some people didn't like the thought of kids with strange abilities running around. Some of them were explaining it away in bad terms...such as ideas of demonic possession or mutant freaks. And that, naturally, led to greater fear and greater anger against people who displayed these abilities...even the beginnings of hate. And some wanted to get rid of the source of such fear and uncertainty to make themselves feel more safe... Oh, they explained that away too...in terms of the need to "destroy monsters" or "purge the gene pool"...but it all came down to the fact that they were afraid of these new powers and they wanted to destroy them before they could pose a threat to them. For now, there were only small mobs that actually were engaging in violence, and only a smattering of those. But as the issue continued to gain momentum...became political... People were starting to get hurt, and hate groups were potentially forming...

The issue of magical power was not going to go away, however. From now on, people would be born with these abilities, just as they were in older times. Because of this, they needed to be accepted and taught how to use their powers in constructive ways. Merely attacking them or trying to kill them would only drive them to become true menaces, to use their powers to harm others intentionally. If people were going to try and attack them and face them with anger and hate, it would be only natural for them to retort just as badly. So that was the purpose of their facility. To protect the children from a world that was growing more hostile to them, to raise them in a supportive environment to be good people, and to teach them to harness their abilities to full potential to aide others. This new generation had to be upheld and saved before things became too hostile for it. In that sense, it was fortune that Ragnar had learned of what would happen from Bahamut. It gave them an edge on the world to prepare this while there was yet time.

Aerith was placed in charge of teaching about magical abilities. She spent every morning with the children just relaxing, clearing their minds, and meditating. Each one was to try and delve inside themselves and learn the ways their magical power was moving through them. They had to learn to feel its natural flow and ebb within themselves, so they could see what type of power they possessed and learn how to manipulate it to produce desired results. This was the longest lesson of every day, and each new arrival only did this all day at first, until they realized their innate abilities and aptitudes. Only when they did that could they move on.

The children were separated according to categories that had been defined millenia ago, but for which records still existed both in Cosmo Canyon and Ragnar's literature. For the most part, it was tied to personality. Ones with more passionate and emotive personalities usually were keen on offensive spells, or Black Magic. Ones who were meeker or gentler tended to be good at healing spells, or White Magic. Others who were quick thinking, prudent, and had a lot of "street smarts" were good at a middle-ground level of magic called Time Magic. Children who tended to be good at everything but were still magically inclined ended up being knowledgable about both black and white magic, and the term for this was Red Magic. In the same vein, ones who were very intelligent and spent a lot of time learning new things were good at the unusual brand of Blue Magic. Last but not least, children who were pure naturalists at heart who seemed to enjoy aesthetics and the environment above all things had a bit of Aerith's own innate abilities as well as new ones. Ragnar's literature termed these Geomancers.

These colors were not just there for fancy names. When the children began to come in touch with their own inner power, they actually said they began to see that color through their closed eyes. Aerith herself could sense their own energy radiating off of them taking a color. Normally, the Lifestream in all people was green. It turned a specific shade for a specific mage, however. Time was orange colored, but seeing as all of the magic involved was related to time and space, that name had stuck. As for Geomancers, their color remained green, although it became slightly more livid. Yet if they could still cast magic, then it meant they were tied to the Planet's own innate power, and were therefore Geomancers.

Once an attribute was discovered, the children began to train to hone their abilities. The first part of the afternoon began with them studying their own specific powers. Luckily, Ragnar's books and Red XIII's books had lots of suggestions for this. Ones studying white magic began with the most basic of cure spells, and would normally look at something like a dying leaf on a plant and attempt to focus on it to regenerate it. Ones studying black magic had a pile of shredded newspaper in an ashtray, and had to try to light it aflame. In both cases, all groups would focus on what they wanted as well as their own innate powers, and try to see what natural words came forth to their mouth to send their power out. It was a lot harder than it appeared. It took hours of steady focus to pull it off for even the simplest spells. More advanced ones required more time.

The exceptions to this were blue magic and geomancers. A geomancer almost always picked up instantly on their abilities. That was because the Planet was already working through them. Unfortunately, this magic was chaotic and unpredictable, and the hardest by far to control. As for one studying blue magic, they had to wait for Cloud or, less often, Ragnar to come out and take them on an all day trip out to a forest, field, or waste somewhere far away from Edge, where there were wild monsters. There they would fight with them, and tell the child to observe. Blue magic was strange in that it could not be learned innately. Only when a child studying it spotted another creature using a special, Planet-energy-derived technique could they learn the spell themselves. It was strange, but on observing it, it would be as if the child had always known it, or as if in seeing it they had been taught a complete lesson that made a previously complicated task very simple. Somehow, the children could always reproduce it after seeing it. No one could describe or theorize why this happened, but according to numerous ancient sources this type of skill was known right up to the first vanishing of magic. Some materia in the world had similar effects. And so it was accepted.

The late afternoon was devoted to actually practicing the techniques. Now the children would actually try to heal the leaf or burn the paper. And if they succeeded in that, they would try it on a larger scale. Large areas indoors and outdoors were devoted to this purpose, and both areas looked rather beaten up and torn from extensive use. However, this was the favorite part for most students, in which they not only got to use their powers but demonstrate them to impress friends. Here, they could practice for up to two hours, but usually they ended long before then. They exhausted their stamina for magic before the full time elapsed. Apparently, in addition to regular stamina, there was a limit of how much magic they could practice in a day, just like with materia orbs. Although this limit was extended the more magic they cast, it seemed as if using their powers worked as using muscles or any other talent. The more it was used, the better it became.

For the first four years, things were pretty good. Their small school slowly began to fill up. Most of the time, Aerith took care of everything. Tifa helped out when she wasn't working the bar, and occasionally Cloud and Ragnar would drop in...Cloud the more frequent of the two. Ragnar was away for months on end with his other job. Cloud was still running deliveries. Aerith herself helped out as waitress when she could spare a few hours. After all, Krystea's investment wasn't going to last forever. They had to make more money to care for everyone. As the population increased, and the kids got older, they were able to help out as well. Marlene and Denzel were both 14 now, and Azure was at least physically that age, if not older. In addition to that, the teens were rather well-suited for combat due to their training and enhanced physicality.

Nevertheless, problems had started in the fifth year. By now, it was impossible for the issue of magic powers to be hidden. And though their own school had been a secret for a while, eventually old friends of homeless children who had moved in had broken in to visit. And sometimes they let matters "leak". Also, the fact that loud noises and flashes went off around the complex with no explanation led the surrounding neighborhood to start suspecting things. Also the fact that the "flower girl" that had used to be a familiar face in old Midgar Sector Seven (whose populace had mostly relocated to Edge) and the additional fact that many of the children who had formerly had Geostigma were now living there, and the rumors practically wrote themselves. Some were starting to get wind that magic was being thrown about in that building. And because of that...people were starting to get vocal around the building. Some were going to the city government. And just yesterday...the first graffiti message had appeared just above their sign, "The Refuge of the Ancients: Orphanage and Boarding School for Gifted Children".

"Freak Farm".

Needless to say, Aerith was worried. Usually she didn't fret too much about things, but she knew what it was like to be hunted and feared your entire life, and especially how bad it was as a child. She wouldn't wish that on her own students and charges... Eventually, this would have to be dealt with, although she had no idea what they would do. This town was too full of people, and they had already put so much into building this place. To build another, and to move out that far... Yet this was a big city with many homeless children already. In a way, settling in Edge had been a good move on their part. Most magically powered individuals were originating here. And those homeless couldn't afford to move somewhere secret and secluded. They'd be abandoning a large portion of them...

Of course...Aerith always had lingering just a bit in the back of her mind...there was the fact that she was, unknown to all but her closest friends, one of the most powerful beings on Gaia...

But she ignored this. She wasn't going to rely on that power. Might didn't make right, no matter whose side took it. At least, she hoped it didn't...and she would try to make a world where it wouldn't. That was why she had started this place. That was why she was having to punish Alex.

Alex stayed at Aerith's side for the next thirty minutes, unable to play or talk to his friends. At the end of that time, however, Aerith gave out the call to the kids to line up. Once they did, she led them inside to go for their second session of free time before they would get started on mental practicing for the day. Yet once they were all in and going about their business, Aerith called Alex over to her. They walked past where the children were mostly headed...the bedrooms, the playroom, or the reading room...past the classrooms and through the annex area...all the way until they reached the door that connected the house and Seventh Heaven to the orphanage area.

They came right up to it before Aerith came to a halt and turned to Alex. The boy, still looking uneasy and uncomfortable, turned and looked up to her.

"Alright, Alex." She stated. "This is your punishment. You are going to go to Tifa. You are going to ask for the window cleaner and paper towels. And then you are going to go to each and every window within the Seventh Heaven and the school and wash them. When you're done, you can go back to the play area or your bedroom for the rest of the day until dinner and bed time."

Alex initally looked rather bad at the first portion, giving the typical child face of "come on". But when he heard this second part, he looked a bit more confused. "But...what about mental exercises and magical practice?"

"You won't be doing that today or for the next two days." Aerith simply answered.

Now Alex looked really troubled. "What?"

"I warned you already not to pick on Ran."

"Matron Aerith!" Alex whined. "I've got to go to practice! The other boys will get better than me at black magic! I'm trying to beat Ramus to being the first black mage to learn Fira! If I can't practice for three days, he'll beat me for sure!"

To this, however, Aerith drew in a deep breath and let out a sigh. Her face softened a bit, but her tone stayed unchanged.

"Is that why you wish to learn black magic, Alex? So you can beat others at casting more dangerous spells? Or so that you can pick on others who can't manage black magic?"

Alex went silent at this. His face once again grew ashamed as he bowed his head. He was unable to answer.

Aerith inhaled and exhaled again, and her voice grew softer. "Alex..." She spoke in a gentler manner. "You and the rest of the children have all been given great gifts. You all have the potential to do a lot of good in this world. You owe it to yourselves and everyone else to use what you have been given responsibly. Don't you remember when you used to live on the street? Don't you remember having to be around kids who were a lot bigger than you when you were younger?"

Alex kept his head bowed. However, his mouth turned into a frown. "...I could beat them if they tried to be mean to me now..." He murmured.

Aerith answered by dropping to one knee in front of him. "Yes, you could." She answered calmly. "But that's not the point. Remember before you knew how to control your power? The names the other children called you? How they used to bully you around because they were bigger than you? Because they could push you around before you could help yourself?"

The boy was quieter at this, and his frown faded slightly.

"...Yes."

"So how do you think Ran feels when you bully him?"

Alex looked anxious again at this. He was quiet for a while, swallowing but refusing to meet Aerith's eyes, which were now level with his. In the end, he balled his hands into fists and spoke more angrily.

"I've never been good at anything before! This is the first thing I've ever been good at! Everyone always used to be mean to me before I knew black magic! Now nobody picks on me or bothers me!"

Aerith simply nodded in response. "That's right, Alex. They don't. But you can't make people respect you by bullying them or scaring them. All of those older boys were mean to you. Did you like them any better for that? Or did you just say nothing to them because you were scared?"

Again, Alex couldn't answer. His anger subsided.

"Cloud and Ragnar are both powerful swordsmen, Alex. Tifa's great at martial arts. And I'm quite skilled at magic myself. But people don't like us because we push around other people using our abilities. They like us because of what we do with them. We help other people and defend people who can't protect themselves. You're not old enough to use your magic in a fight yet, Alex. But you can help the other young black mages. Or you can help red mages like Ran learn how to use their black magic too. That's how they'll really respect you. Then you'll be using your power to help other people. Some people might still try to pick on you, but you know what? I have a feeling you wouldn't want them to like you anyway. The people who you help will really appreciate you."

Alex kept his head low and didn't answer. However, his expression was quite a bit softer now. Some of it was even turning a bit back to normal.

Aerith smiled a bit, and reached down her fingers to his chin. She gently raised his head and aimed it at her, so that his eyes were looking into hers. She smiled wider.

"And I promise...if you behave and don't pick on anyone else...I'll make _sure_ you know all the black magic spells before _anyone_ else."

This was the sinker. Alex's eyes brightened, and his gloom vanished. "Really?"

Aerith nodded. "Cross my heart."

Alex grinned in response, seeming to almost forget he still had his punishment to look forward to. "Alright!" He said in response, both in agreement to the terms and in enthusiasm for his new deal.

Aerith stood up after that, keeping her smile on Alex as she got to her feet. They both smiled at each other a bit longer, before Alex turned and looked to the door. Now he was ready. He wanted to hurry up and get through the next three days so that Aerith could start living out her end of the bargain. The Cetra answered by opening the door and letting him in.

The bottom level of this portion of the Seventh Heaven hadn't changed much. They went through the doorway that had once been the rear entrance, but was now just a connection to the new building. Inside was a short hallway filled with shoes and coathooks, as well as a rather dirty mat that people wiped their feet on. The hallway to the annex had a door leading outside of it, and so one could still come indoors from outdoors not far from here, which was why these things remained. There was also the staircase leading to the bedrooms, and a newer hallway that had been built when the building had expanded. There was still the door to the main bar, however, and it was to this that Aerith and the boy turned. They began to make their way toward it.

They had only gotten about two steps, however, when the door to the barroom suddenly swung open. Inside came a fair, brown-haired woman, dressed for business with an apron over her clothes. Based on the powder remnants of flour and sugar on her wrists and darker portions of clothing, she had been cooking. However, she also had a ready look about her when she came in, as if she was preoccupied with something. However, on entering this small room and spotting Aerith, she suddenly looked surprised and snapped out of it.

"Oh...Aerith!" She announced on seeing her. "You're just who I was looking for." She paused for a moment, and then looked down to her side. She spotted Alex, and immediately placed her hands on her hips with a sort of nagging frown. "Alright...what have we got here?"

"Alex needs you to show him how to do the windows." Aerith answered, gesturing to the boy. Luckily, he seemed eager to get started now, having had his blues chased away. "What did you need me for?"

Tifa indicated the way she had come. "In the kitchen. The phone's for you. It's Ragnar."

The Cetra walked forward and swapped places with Tifa, who took Alex, and made her way into the bar area. After working her way past the main bar and a few tables, she found her way to the kitchen door. It was still swinging after the remodeling, and she walked in easily. She went to the wall phone a moment later, and saw the carriage empty. The phone itself was sitting down on the counter. She quickly took it up and placed it to her head.

"Hey General." She teased a bit.

_"Hey Aerith."_ She heard in response on the other end. The voice was affectionate, but it quickly became serious afterward. _"I need to ask you something..."_

* * *

TRANSMISSION RECEIVED. 

PARALLEL MONITORING ENGAGED.

Origin: (432) 555-7844 (Personal Cellular - Ragnar Vice)

Destination: (246) 555-0640 (Business - Seventh Heaven, Edge)

Code Citrix: 542768139-1237

Transmitting:

D: Hello?

O: Hey, Tifa. It's Ragnar.

D: Oh, so remembering us now, are you? You didn't call last night.

O: Er...Something came up... Could you put Aerith on the phone?

D: Alright...but she's not happy.

O: Um...I'm...

D: Oh, I'm just kidding, Ragnar! You know she doesn't care! I'll go get her.

O: Alright.

O: (1:24 of indistinct breathing noises, no recognizable words detected)

D: Hey General.

O: Hey Aerith. I need to ask you something...

D: What's up?

**O: I didn't call last night because I finally got a chance to go in and look at that site beneath the former HQ Dome.**

**D: So what was it?**

**O: I have no idea...but it's very big. It's older than anything else we've found at Gateway or the City. There's some sort of powerful Lifestream energy surge coming through it as well. I've never sensed energy like this. I can hear voices almost as if they were right next to me and alive.**

**D: ...Wow. The only place I felt like that was in the Crystal Shrine...**

O: I don't understand any of the writing here, although some might be a variant on an older form. I'll try to get Red XIII to look in on it. I don't know if anything will turn up. I'm calling to ask if you can come up. You might know more than me.

D: Well, I don't know if I'd be much better, Ragnar. You learned the Cetra language long before I did.

O: But you can still sense things a lot better than me. Especially since...

D: ...Yeah, I guess you're right.

O: Besides, it's been a while since you've been up here. And the kids haven't seen it yet.

D: So you want me to bring Samoa and Simoa?

O: Yeah. I miss them too. I don't like being gone this long on end…

D: Tifa's right, you've got to loosen up more. You need to get home and dance on that game with me some more.

O: Heh heh... That's not such a bad idea. But I want to check this out first.

D: Alright then. I'll call you back.

O: Alright. Take care.

D: Love you.

O: I love you too.

Transmission ended.

* * *

Shelke the Transparent waited until she heard the clicking of the receiver and actually "saw" the text cease within her synaptic mode dive before she reached up to the helmet-like hood with a large, glowing "eye" on the front of it that covered her head. She touched it and proceeded to slowly lift it off, revealing that it was attached to several monstrous coaxial cables. In response, her reclining, cushioned chair at her work terminal, which allowed her body to go limp during these interfaces, automatically leaned up and brought her closer toward the set of computer monitors and keypads that stretched in front of her. Above all of this was a small, electronic sphere about the size of her head. She proceeded to calmly set the hood on top of it, and then turned to the keypads and began to type numbers. 

Although the girl looked to be no older than ten, the truth was she was closer to twenty-six. Her face was fair and youthful, but her expression was cold and emotionless. It had long since ceased to show any care for anything in Gaia...or more appropriately underneath it. Her blue and white suit looked both technical as well as close fitting yet comfortable. Her head almost seemed to rest in the collar around her neck. Only when she tilted slightly could one make out a small radio device around one of her ears.

After a moment, she ceased typing, and then waited. Another moment later, and a voice...long, slow, and seeming almost to ooze out of shadow...began to answer.

_"Nero the Sable here. What is the report?"_

"Shelke the Transparent contacting. The latest transmission from Ragnar Vice to the Seventh Heaven is interesting. I've already sent it to you, and highlighted some of the more intriguing parts." Though Shelke spoke as if these things were valuable, her tone of voice indicated that she might as well have been telling someone that a pack of gum was one gil.

Nero didn't answer, but Shelke knew that he was reading the transmission at his own terminal. As a result, she patiently waited for a few moments to give him time to peruse it. After calculating roughly the time it would take him to go over the transmission, and followed it up by counting off that much time mentally, she spoke up again.

"According to the transmission, the Refuge of the Ancients will be at the lowest guarded level it has been in years. Now would be the best time to capture new recruits."

_"That is not for you to decide or to recommend."_ The voice answered. Despite her emotionlessness, Shelke almost felt the slightest wave of fear deep inside her as she thought of a faint trickle of Nero's darkness seeping through the phone toward her. _"I will evaluate this. As for you, continue to monitor this situation as it develops. I wish to know everything about their discovery and what type of power it possesses."_

"Understood." Shelke responded. "Hail Weiss."

_"Hail Weiss."_

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A question you might have right now, for those of you that read the end of "The Aleron Saga" and have moved on to this, might be, "What exactly has DeepGround been doing for five years? Twiddling their thumbs?" Unfortunately, that answer won't come for quite a few more chapters. But no, I didn't try to just hide them inside an enormous plot hole. :)


	2. Short Drink

"Ready to lose?"

"With a 245-137 record? I must have hit you too hard that last fight..."

"My luck's about to change. Let's go!"

Marlene rolled her eyes and shook her head at the teens in front of her. "You two will never change..."

Denzel and Azure didn't pay attention. Both went at one another and soon began to clash their swords. They weren't the same wooden practice sticks they had years earlier. Since then they had upgraded. At current, they were using old metal blades that had been filed down to have no edges, and the points had been cut off. They could still probably seriously injure or even kill in the hands of someone who was strong enough, but both boys had been practicing so long with them that they made sure not to hurt each other. That wasn't to say that accidents didn't happen, however...or that while battling that they didn't look like they weren't fighting fiercely enough. But that was due to their competitive spirits and unnaturally strong physiologies.

Both boys were much taller and more filled out since they had met six years ago. Denzel was fourteen, and Azure was at least that age if not older in the physical department. Both of them had been old enough to take on a full training regimen since they were twelve, and both had wanted one from Cloud. They had also been old enough to practice swordplay for real for a couple of years. At first, they went to Cloud to ask him for most training. Since then, however, they had consulted with Ragnar as well. After all, he out of the two had more training in skill over power, although both had learned quite a bit from the other at that point.

Though young, Denzel's body was in the midst of a growth spurt, and currently he was only a little under Cloud's own height. He was lanky and skinny as a result, but he still had quite a bit of muscle for someone his age, and it showed. He had been training with weights since he was twelve, after all. Like his adoptive father, his hair seemed to be taking more of a "sharper" spike to it as he got older on the sides of his head, and he did spike out the front of his hair to keep it out of his eyes. Though he was only fourteen, the Jenova cells within him had begun to take greater effect as he grew. Currently he was as strong as the heaviest bodybuilder in most gyms. However, whether or not he would ever be as strong as Cloud would be determined by his own training. He had no mako treatments as the ex-mercenary had received.

Azure, on the other hand, was already taller than Cloud. His body wasn't skinny but very filled out. He almost looked done growing. His skin and muscle tone was still flawless, and his pale green eyes were filled with power. His silver hair had grown long now, but he kept all but a few strands tied back out of his face. Denzel, Cloud, and Tifa would never admit it to him...but he was starting to look more and more like the man who had tried to take his body from him. He had a gentler air about him though. His face and eyes weren't hardened by lack of emotion and heartlessness. However, he was rather powerful. Ragnar currently was having a hard time keeping up with him, and Cloud visibly sweat in every practice match they had.

Marlene had...developed. After all, it was a well known fact that girls "matured" earlier than boys. She was rather curved at this point, though not quite so much as Tifa was. That was just as well, or Barret might have put a leash on her to keep her away from potential wolfish boys. Yet it was unmistakable that she was a rather lovely young lady now. Her hair was still a blend of Tifa's and Aerith's, with her bangs cut like Tifa's and her hair tied back in a loose tail like Aerith's. She was well into the age at which a girl would want to start looking for boys to ask her out, but (much to Barret's relief) she spent most of her time hanging around with her two childhood friends. That included times like this when she watched their never-ending battle for superiority.

The two boys were in the middle of a spar that would have dizzied most adults, including ones that knew how to use swords. They struck so hard that occasionally a spark would come off from one of their blades, though they were only practice ones. After colliding with one clash, Azure peeled out and swung at Denzel's head before he had a chance to pull his blade back up.

"Oh!" A small voice cried near Marlene, before covering her eyes.

Marlene looked down to her...having to admit that she had a hard time not covering her own eyes as well. It was still scary to see this. Yet there were no worries. Denzel ducked his head easily and locked swords again, and the fight continued. Azure wasn't doing that out of maliciousness. He was just playing to win, exactly like Denzel. Besides, he would have pulled off before he would have done any real damage if he thought he was going to hit. And even if he didn't, neither of them would get in trouble anymore. They'd just get a scolding from Cloud and Tifa about being too rough. Marlene still didn't like how intensely they got into this...

"Yeah! Get him, big brother!" Another voice, far more bold, called out.

Marlene looked up from the first and in front of her. Seated nearby, brushing his own brown, spiky hair out of his face so his large blue eyes could look better, was Crain. Though he was only five, he loved this. He got about as excited for these matches as Denzel and Azure did. That made Marlene blanch a bit. She had a feeling that he'd be just like them about swordplay when he got older. What did she expect? Having a swordsman as a father and a godfather, as well as two older brothers who did the same... Though he was far too young to practice training, he was already trying to prove himself to be as tough as his mother and father. However, he had been a bit clever in what he just said. Since both Denzel and Azure were his brothers, you could never quite tell who he was cheering for. Perhaps it didn't matter.

Far more timid, sitting behind Crain, were the five year old twins. Samoa and Simoa weren't nearly as bold or battle-ready as their friend. Both of them were gently disposed by nature. They even seemed to be a bit meeker than Marlene. Ragnar and Aerith didn't mind. After all, the world wasn't just violent swordsmen who loved battle. They had wanted a world where children could grow up in peace. And they'd prefer to have a world where Samoa and Simoa didn't have to worry about being violent or have to defend themselves from constant danger, as their parents had. They could be very sweet, and they were very good natured, never causing much trouble. And that was a godsend to most parents...

The two boys continued to clash swords for a moment longer. Denzel had taken the offensive, and was advancing on Azure. He managed to push the taller boy back, but he didn't manage to get a hit through as they continued to fight. At last, when Denzel tried to advance again…Azure shot forward with his sword braced against himself. The smaller boy's eyes widened, but before he could stop it their blades were locked, and Azure kept advancing to avoid allowing Denzel any room to move. Soon after, he swung around once and forced both of their swords down toward the ground. He rushed in even more, and by doing so managed to pin his blade down. Both of them came in and practically touched faces.

"Looks like I've got you again." Azure stated confidently.

"The fight's not over yet." Denzel answered with his own cocky look.

Both held for a moment longer, but then Azure abruptly leapt backward. Normally, he would use his next move to put power into his swing. He'd force Denzel's blade to the side in a snap, get it out of his hands, and then point his blade at his chest to indicate a victory.

Yet before he could swing up…Denzel did something unexpected. Abruptly, the boy dropped down into a crouch and rolled himself onto his back. His sword was pulled back and away from his brother's. Azure's face turned to puzzlement, and in his puzzlement he paused and pulled his blade up. That was his mistake. Immediately, Denzel rolled forward again, going faster this time, and in a flash sprung up and to his feet. Azure's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could do anything else, Denzel used his momentum in midair to bring his blade down and smack it into Azure's. The move had so much power, and was so unexpected, that the blade went flying to the ground. As it clattered against the pavement, Denzel's sword went up and aimed at Azure's chest. The taller boy was moments from going for his blade…when he realized it was too late. He looked back up in surprise to Denzel, and the other boy smiled back.

"…245-13_8_."

Azure hesitated a moment, but then smiled with a dangerous air himself.

"Alright, you win this time…" He admitted. "But that won't work next time. I'll be ready for it."

As Denzel lowered his sword and let Azure go for his own, Crain clapped in excitement. Marlene leaned back and was just glad it was over. As for Samoa and Simoa, now that the fight was done and Crain's entertainment had passed, both of them got up and began to move over the bleachers toward their friends.

"Hey Crain?" Samoa asked.

"Do you want to go home-" Simoa began to add.

"And play Moogles and Chocobos?" Samoa finished.

The boy turned and looked over to them at this. He seemed somewhat anxious. "…Can't we play knights instead?" He asked with something of a childish whine.

Both of the twins looked anxious at this.

"You hurt when you play that!" Simoa protested.

"And you don't die whenever I touch you!" Samoa added back.

"I will this time. Come on!" Crain pleaded.

They weren't around the Seventh Heaven at the moment. When Denzel and Azure wanted to practice, they had to go out to the old abandoned basketball court they had used since the war. Cloud and Ragnar used to be the ones who worked out on this by themselves, but as they got older the teens came out here to practice as well. Usually when they came their parents wanted them to take the younger kids with them, so that they'd have a chance to get out and run around as well. Of course, what they didn't realize is that the two older boys tended to take up the field all by themselves.

Marlene overheard this and looked back up to the other two.

"Hear that guys? They want to head back."

Denzel and Azure turned back at that. Denzel looked rather unhappy.

"What? Already?"

"Already?" Marlene echoed back. "You guys have been out here for four hours! And Crain's the only one out of the four of us who likes watching you almost cut each other's noses off for that long."

Both of the older ones frowned.

"Sure didn't seem like four hours…" Azure grumbled.

"Why do we always have to babysit them anyway?" Denzel added.

"We?" Marlene nearly yelled back as she began to stand up. "You guys don't watch them at all! You make me do it while you spar all afternoon!"

After a bit more arguing over what they were going to do when they went back, the three younger children got up and went around Marlene. The two older ones wiped off some of their forehead sweat with the dry parts of their shirts, and put their swords away. After that, all six began to walk back. It was a few blocks away, and it took some time to get there. Along the way, Marlene took the hands of the twins when they had to cross a street. Denzel was left to escort Crain. It was obvious he was getting to the point of his life where he didn't want to have to take care of his "little brother", but he went with it anyway. The walk was mostly uneventful, and after about fifteen minutes they started to come up on the place five of them called home.

From the outside, only one part of the large building and grounds they lived in appeared to look as it had years ago. The Seventh Heaven still took up its spot in the middle of the street on one side, but the other side of the block was dominated by a building of considerable size. It was bigger than most public elementary schools, and due to its newer design appeared to almost be a separate building. Only if you stepped in the space between the backs of the buildings did you see that the Seventh Heaven was annexed to it.

The larger building, the so-called "Refuge of the Ancients", was U-shaped, with the main building and the dormitory making up two sides of it. The middle dipped in more, allowing the large playyard. It was fenced off with the sign advertising the facility hung across it. Part of it had been whitewashed, however. It still needed to be repainted.

The six in particular made their way for the Seventh Heaven's back door, or rather the door on the annex that allowed similar access. Once they arrived, Marlene opened the door first and let the younger children in. After that, she went in, and finally Azure and Denzel stepped inside.

Once in the hallway, Azure and Denzel went over to the closet to put their swords away. Marlene knelt down next to the twins and began to help them take off their shoes. Crain pulled his off immediately, not bothering to untie them at all. That would be trouble later, because he had to have his shoes double-knotted, like most children, to keep them from tripping over the laces or accidentally getting them untied again. As they made this noise, it didn't take long for someone from the restaurant to hear them. Footsteps soon began to approach, and after a moment a woman turned the corner.

Crain heard this as well and turned. Immediately he smiled. "Hi mom!"

Tifa beamed back. "Well hi, Crain. Were you good today?"

"He was very good." Marlene answered. "He didn't get into any trouble or fight with the twins."

The hostess smiled wider at Crain to show her approval. "Good boy!" After that, she began to get down on her knees. "Do I get a hug? I haven't seen you all day."

Crain immediately ran up to her and gave her one. Marlene, meanwhile, finished untying the twins' shoes and began to put them to one side, and then took up Crain's discarded ones and set them next to it. As she was doing this, however, another figure slowly crept up from behind the twins. A moment later, and two arms shot out, wrapped around the waists of the twins, and stuck their fingers into their sides and began to tickle. Both twins immediately leapt a little and gave giggles, and instinctively turned around to the source. Aerith had inserted herself in between the two of them and put her arms around them.

"Mommy!" Both called at once, before turning and hugging her back.

Meanwhile, Tifa parted from Crain and stood up again. When she did, she looked over to Azure and Denzel. "Hey boys. How was practice today?"

Denzel shut the closest door and turned to Tifa. "It was good. I did that move you taught me on Azure, and it worked."

Immediately, the taller boy snapped to him. "Hey! You cheated! You got help from mom!"

Denzel gave an innocent shrug. "I made it my own move. We never said we couldn't get help from other people. Besides, you're so far ahead you don't need to complain."

Azure frowned a bit and gave a warning look to Denzel. "Alright…but next time you try that, I'm going to get you…"

"Samoa… Simoa…" Aerith suddenly spoke up, getting the attention of most everyone else in the hallway, although she directed her voice to her twins. The two of them pulled back a bit and looked at her. She beamed a wider smile at them. "I've got some good news. We're going to go on a trip to see daddy."

The twins immediately brightened up even more. "Really?" They both asked at once.

Crain overheard this, and he immediately started to look uncomfortable. "You guys are going away?"

"It will just be for a few days, sweetie." Aerith answered, looking back to Crain. "Maybe even less than that. It won't be a big trip. I just have to go to the Northern Continent to look at something Ragnar has found."

Crain still didn't look at ease. "When will you be back?"

"Two or three days. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Simoa reached out and tugged on her mother's sleeve. The Cetra looked back down to her in response.

"What is it, honey?"

"Can we make a present for daddy when we see him?" She asked.

"Yeah!" Samoa chimed in immediately, showing that twin trait of being of like minds.

Aerith smiled back. "You sure can. I'm sure your daddy will love it. Why don't you go on upstairs and start getting out the paper and crayons? I'll be up in a little while to help you and get you packed."

The twins immediately broke off and began to make for the stairway. Crain himself held back and looked uncomfortable. Luckily, Tifa picked up on this and immediately bent down next to him. This turned his attention back to her.

"Why don't you go up and help them, Crain? I'm sure Uncle Ragnar misses you too. And I know you want to play with the twins as much as you can before they leave."

Crain hesitated a moment, but seemed to realize that this was the best option. "Ok." He answered, and immediately turned and went for the stairs after them. The sounds of children clamboring up the steps soon followed, and after some more footsteps moving on to their bedroom, there was silence.

After this, however, Marlene turned to Aerith with some unease.

"Ms. Aerith…are you sure you want to leave right now?" She asked. "I mean…after those guys spray painted the sign and everything…"

The Cetra looked somewhat regretful at this, but then gave a sigh. "Well…I _did_ think about that." She answered. "And I thought about what this would mean if I left Tifa alone in charge of all of the children. That's part of the reason I wanted to take the kids with me. But so long as lessons are canceled and they essentially have a three day break, it should be alright."

"And Cloud will be back tonight." Tifa added. "We should be alright if you think someone's going to try something."

"Hey, don't forget about us." Denzel threw in.

"I bet we could handle anyone who tried to break in." Azure added.

Tifa turned to them and leveled her eyebrows. "I didn't forget about you two young men, actually. You're going to have to cancel your practice for the next few days and help me out."

Immediately, both boys formed shocked expressions.

"What?"

"Come on!"

"Oh, stop complaining." Tifa answered. "It won't hurt you two to miss sparring once in a while. Your father didn't even start until he was your age."

Both boys continued to look miserable, but held their tongues.

Tifa turned back to Aerith at this. "So…did Ragnar happen to say what it was?"

Aerith turned to focus on her. "If what he's saying is true, then it might be something important. He says he found some place that was underneath the old Dome. It's older than the sites at Gateway at least. He also says he was able to hear voices clearly there, and I know he can't do it as easily as I can."

Tifa seemed intrigued by this. "So…is this another spot on the Planet with a shrine? Kind of like the Crystal Shrine? Where you can speak to it more clearly?"

Aerith hesitated here, and looked a bit uncomfortable.

"That's just it." She spoke up after a moment. "He never said he heard the Planet more clearly there. He only said he heard _voices_. There is a difference. The Planet speaks throughout the unity of all living things in one unified, overlaying voice. Voices is usually only if you go into an area where there's been death or tragedy… Ghosts, essentially. But I've never heard of ghosts coming out that strongly before, if what he says is true…"

Denzel and Azure were tuning in a bit to this by now. Marlene was listening, and in the end gave a shrug. "So…what does it mean?"

"I don't know." Aerith answered. "But hopefully I'll have a better idea tomorrow."

* * *

Getting there wasn't quite the same as it used to be. Aerith hardly noticed though. She had been gone when the others had the habit of calling up Cid to take them places in a flash on the Highwind, Sierra, or whatever the current ship of the line was. And after the war ended five years ago, it was obvious that she would never get the chance to do so again… However, the world had changed quite a bit since then…

Now…they had "Highwind Airways."

With the war over and commerce and trade returning to normal, Cid's business had finally been able to take off for real. The President was now Shera Highwind. Mack, the ace pilot from the war, had taken a new position as one of its pilots, though they employed several others now. It was the biggest new industry at the moment, and with lots of room to expand it was attracting investors at an alarming rate. It had already expanded worldwide at this point. Now, it was filling out even more than before.

Currently, the business had eight different airships being used in service, each one with room for two hundred coach passengers and fifty first class. At first, they had only been able to run on commission for large parties. As they expanded the number of pilots and aircraft, they were able to establish regular flights: Midgar to Wutai, Junon to Wutai, and Midgar to Junon (this one twice a day) and vice versa were the first three established. After that they expanded, including Midgar to Costa Del Sol, Wutai to Costa Del Sol, and Junon to Rocket Town (which, thanks to economic stimulation from being the center of Highwind Airways business, had expanded). Once they built two new airships, they put both on a split shift, alternating locations every day. One of them ran Junon to Costa Del Sol and Junon to Nibelheim. The other ran Midgar to Mideel and Midgar to former Bone Village. It was the latter of these two that Aerith and her family took.

After one night of setting things up, putting matters in order, and getting the children ready, Aerith left early the next morning with Samoa and Simoa to get to the local "Airway". Crain and Tifa had gotten up early to see them off, and Cloud, who had gotten back from a long distance delivery the night before, decided to help escort them. They had to take the train to get there on time, and they had to leave early to make the station. As a result, the twins were still half asleep by the time they made it to the field. The ride was expensive, but it was better than boat. After helping load their luggage, Cloud wished them farewell and left. Aerith was left to get Samoa and Simoa in their seats, where they readily fell asleep. She buckled herself in, and thirty minutes later they were taking off.

Aerith hadn't ridden in airships nearly as much as the others had, but she had been in them enough to not be used to the restrictions. Having to stay buckled up in landing and takeoff, for example, and being restrained to certain areas. Two hours into the flight the children woke up and wanted to move around, and Aerith got chastised by a member of the flight attendant crew when she forgot the rules and let them wander. All in all, however, it was an uneventful flight. Aerith should have been grateful for the chance to have a few hours of relative peace. She had been almost constantly busy back at the orphanage.

Of course…that only made her more worried. Despite what she had said earlier, Marlene's comment from the day before hadn't gone unnoticed. Hoeng was gone, and with him the chance of anyone conducting anymore horrible experiments. Yet she remembered well when they had been attacked before, and she hadn't been able to do much to help. They were all strong, but none of them were invincible. Even with the power of the Sorceress now at her command, Aerith wasn't above feeling that she could be killed. And she wasn't a goddess that she could be everywhere and protect everyone. She had reasons to believe she should have opted to avoid this trip… However, she pushed those away. She couldn't guard them forever anyway. And she was interested in seeing what Ragnar had found. Chances were if it intrigued him, it would intrigue her as well…

After another hour or so, the message was announced that they were preparing to land at Gateway. If the war, now known as the Volunteer War due to the seeming historical paradox that neither the soldiers for the New Shinra Army or the Planet Protector Army ended up with much of anything in terms of compensation, had never happened, the former Bone Village might have only been accessible by chartering a ship. However, it had expanded a bit in the past few years. The sheer size of the New Shinra HQ Dome, and the time it was taking to dismantle it and the rest of the materials in the area, had generated enough money to actually have a few junk businesses. And since there were still people who wanted to go outdoor activities in wild climates and areas, but Icicle Inn was abandoned, the area was opening up some small areas featuring river rafting, chocobo riding, and hiking. In the winter, there was some skiing, but the prime spots were all adjacent to Icicle Inn, and there wasn't anything in the way of real estate development out there yet. It wouldn't really matter. All the area up to Icicle Inn and a bit beyond was now melted in the summer. Since that particular event had seemed dreamlike to her, even when she reverted into her "angelic" form, Aerith could hardly believe she had done it. Yet even with her astonishing power, she hadn't been able to totally heal the wound to the Planet. Its total energy still dwarfed hers…and that made the woman uneasy about what would have happened had Sephiroth ever succeeded.

However, because of the development, there were now inns to stay at in former Bone Village (as opposed to simply tents you could rent), some businesses, and regular transport up north to the Dome. Due to the placement before the valley that led north to the City of the Ancients and the rest of the Northern Continent, the previous-dig-turned-town had renamed itself, "Gateway".

As the airship finally began to come in for a landing, Aerith realized she should have tried to get one of the older children to come along. Although she had brought her own children with her, it was likely that Ragnar didn't want them around the work area. It would have been better if she could have left them with a babysitter when she went up. Yet there was nothing for it now.

The three disembarked with the rest of the passengers into the "Airway Platform". It was really just a hanger. However, it lacked most of the hustle, bustle, machines, and tools that the ones in the war had. This one stayed clean and put all of its equipment up along one side. The other was devoted to the passengers. A divider had been erected through the hanger to allow people a screen against the sound of the engines and the blasts of wind coming off of them. After exiting via a ramp, the passengers moved into a tunnel that led to a set of double doors, which opened up into this area.

Aerith and the twins, hand in hand, just passed through this area and made their way slightly forward before they managed to catch a familiar sight waiting for them.

"Daddy!" The twins called. Aerith let them go so they could take off in a run for him. Ragnar himself bent down and let them come up to him. They threw their arms around them and he hugged them back. Exerting his own strength, he stood up with both of them hanging around his neck and kissed each one on the head.

"Hey, you two! You're getting so big… I'm not going to be able to pick you up much longer. You're going to have to start carrying me around… I've really missed you. Oops…I've got to put you two down for just a minute…I've got something I want to give mommy…"

Ragnar bent back down and set both of the children down. Once he stood back up again, Aerith had nearly reached him. Immediately, he stepped forward, put his arms around her, and kissed her on the lips. Aerith put her own arms around him and returned it. After holding for a moment, the two parted again, although they continued to hold for a moment.

"Was the flight alright?" Ragnar asked.

"It was fine." Aerith answered. "How are you?"

"Same as yesterday. How about you?"

"…To be honest, I've been thinking more and more about how I want to get this thing over with. I think I need to be around the Refuge until we get this issue of magic cleared up."

Ragnar formed something of an uncomfortable look himself. Although he was around the least, this concerned him as much as Aerith. After all, he and his family formed the last surviving Cetra. And they knew now that Cetra blood had a propensity for great magical ability. Ragnar himself sure hadn't felt like a "Sorcerer" yet, but he couldn't deny his mastery of flame. Even after separating from Bahamut, he still felt fire come easier to him. He hadn't used any time to study, but there was the chance he was a black mage…

"…We shouldn't take too long." Ragnar answered. "I'm going to try and get you out there today. As soon as I get you all situated, we'll head out to the site."

With that, the man turned down to the twins again and smiled. He began to crouch again soon after. "Alright, you two. All aboard. You've got at least a few more trips on daddy left."

* * *

Ragnar's position here had necessitated him getting some form of transportation. In the end, he had to opt for renting a jeep car. One downside to ceasing use of mako was that cars now tended to be rather foul-smelling, dirty, sooty things. Yet the alternative was hotfooting it to the Dome from Gateway. As a result, Ragnar had to hope that Isuzu Industries would indeed come up with a better fuel alternative and keep one. The only good side was that usually he was able to take his co-workers along with him. And for rare moments like this when his family was with him, it came in handy.

Ragnar first took Aerith and the twins to the local inn where he was staying and checked them in. It wasn't the best looking place in the world, for Ragnar tended to stay cheap when abroad, but it wasn't dirty or dangerous either. After that, and the twins giving him their drawings, the decision had to be made of how to proceed. Ragnar was a little iffy on letting the kids come in on the site. Children their age were normally not allowed. And he'd have to go in with Aerith, which meant he'd have to find someone to watch them on site, something that he was sure his colleagues wouldn't care for. However, he was the one who wanted Aerith to bring the kids along, so he had to deal with it. Once they were all set up, and changed into jackets, they set out.

It was a long drive. Even with the road more "well-traveled" between Gateway and the old Dome site, the pass through the valley in particular, it was still a rocky drive and had to be taken slow. Aerith could hardly recognize the area. The forests were expanding now, what with most of the frozen tundra gone. When they got out of the valley, they saw that grasslands were forming and expanding north. From that spot, which used to be frozen and snow-covered year round, one only got a glimpse of snow far to the north, capping the mountains. Samoa and Simoa were surprised at it, having never seen snow outside of winter before. Another good benefit of Aerith's "climate change" was the fact that most of the creatures that had mutated and become violent around the Northern Crater were cold adapted, and died out when the weather got warmer. Yet still, the passage was easy. Only if it had been winter would it have been especially difficult. Yet it was summer and the days were longer. It didn't matter that it was already getting later in the afternoon when they finally began to see the dismantling site far in the distance.

Aerith couldn't help but feel a wave of slight unease on seeing it. Although the area was quite safe now, a lot had happened there that had changed her forever. She still remembered what she almost became… At any rate, it was scarcely recognizable from what it had been. All it seemed to be now was some great gutted sphere poking out from the ground. The metal, machinery, and parts that had filled up its interior were looking thin, threadbare, and progressively vanishing. It almost looked like giant metal termites were eating away at it.

"Wow!" Simoa called as she saw it.

"That's big!" Samoa added in a similar voice.

"It used to be a lot bigger." Ragnar told them with a bit of a smile. "We're headed for the middle of it. It turns out there was something very old buried under it."

"Like a mummy?" Simoa asked.

"Or a vampire?" Samoa added with a bit more dangerous edge in his voice.

"Not quite that bad." Ragnar answered, smiling a bit more at what suggestions his children had come up with.

Aerith smiled a bit, but said nothing.

As she pulled in nearer, Aerith saw hundreds of workers moving around the entire facility. Most of them were working on cutting things, removing pieces, throwing them down to coworkers, and then letting them move to trucks for hauling out. At first there were only people piling up bits of salvage, or moving it into furnaces that had been built to melt it down and process the steel into more usable forms. Yet as they drove nearer, the sounds of banging, cutting, and other work began to flow over the air and to them. Everyone was wearing hard hats and looking rather dirty, but they were all working hard and carrying away pieces of the Dome endlessly. Aerith rethought her termite analogy as they drove closer. As she began to see workers lining the rim of the Dome and filling the interior, she thought more of ants on a sugar cube…carrying it away in long trails…

The jeep itself continued on until it reached the Dome. Aerith watched, and saw Ragnar drive right up to a gutted garage entrance, and then pass right through. To her surprise, the inside area was a clear shot to the center of the Dome. The networks of pipes and dismantled corridors formed a matrix over them, providing a sort of strange tunnel leading onward. There were industrial lights in place here, but it didn't matter during the day. The overhead had been broken down so much that light was able to filter through in many places, making it look more like they were driving through some sort of bizarre grove. The children seemed to like it, marveling at all of the technology that surrounded them, forming this tunnel shape that led them onward. Aerith herself saw a few other workers, mostly hanging out in "halls" that had been made in the network on either side. Yet the trip itself was uneventful and not very exciting. And after only about a minute, they passed out from under this and were back in the sunlight.

Here things were considerably different. As near as Aerith could tell, this must have been where the reactor area of the Dome had been, dead in the center. Yet there was hardly a sign it had ever been there at all. Everything in the middle of the Dome had been removed, from the tallest armor plating to the lowest mako-resistant platform. All that was left was a huge, muddy crater in the ground from where the sub-basements were once dug. And it was so bare that it was impossible to tell from any other hole in the ground. There were several cranes and large earthmovers here. Some were in operation, but others looked like they were doing little other than collecting residue and grime from the elements. Ragnar didn't drive straight into the hole, naturally. Instead, he rounded the edge of it. Aerith looked out a bit further, and noticed that there was a ramp built into it. That seemed-

However, once Ragnar drove them to the ramp and began to descend…Aerith stopped thinking about what she was seeing.

Although she was still far from the area…she already began to hear it.

Ragnar didn't notice her immediately. It wasn't until he had finished driving down the ramp and hit flat ground again that he saw her. But before that happened, the area ahead was clearly exposed. Just as Ragnar had described, directly ahead on the floor of what had been the sub-basement was a large opening. There were a few people gathered around there already. One just seemed to be making adjustments around the hole, trimming away at the stone and setting up a tent covering over it. There were several large devices set up around the area now. Another person, the only one not wearing a hard hat other than those in the jeep, was examining something in a book in his arms.

However, Ragnar didn't focus on this long. The corner of his eyes saw that Aerith had frozen and looked ahead. Seeing this, he immediately turned fully to her.

"Are you alright?"

Aerith hesitated a moment, keeping her eyes focused ahead.

"…I can hear it already." The Cetra slowly answered. "I've never heard anything quite like it…"

Ragnar looked a bit uncomfortable at this. However, he turned back ahead and kept driving. "…Let's get down there so you can have a better look at it."

As they drove closer, the man who was examining the book looked up. Aerith soon saw he was rather young and wearing glasses, and she immediately thought of the geology student Ragnar had hired that he had told her about. The voices also became more distinct as she drew nearer. It didn't seem like the Lifestream… It seemed more…distinctive. Solitary. You could think of the Lifestream as being the sum of thousands of voices. But this…this seemed almost like just a small group. And it almost seemed to get quieter as you got nearer. The overreaching voice of the Planet began to fade compared to their individual words…

Finally, however, the car came to a stop. Once Ragnar finished shifting it into park and turning it off, he immediately opened the door in the side and stepped out.

The young man's eyes widened a bit, and he immediately began to step forward, collapsing the book and putting it to his side.

"Oh…hello, Mr. Vice."

"Anything yet, Rex?" Ragnar immediately answered back.

The man formed a puzzled look in response. "It's really weird, sir. Outer layers of sediment seem to indicate a time period of 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. I won't know for sure unless I do some radioactive studies. But underneath it…the construction doesn't seem to match any mineral mixture that's known. It looks like some form of solid metal, but it's definitely not in ore form. It's been processed. The thought that something could have been processing metal that long ago…"

"What about the entrance? The writing that was there?"

"Much younger. At least half as old. But again, the same metal is underneath. I think someone discovered this a long time ago and it's been sealed ever since."

Ragnar gave a nod in response, although he still seemed rather intrigued and puzzled at this. Aerith herself watched this exchange, and once it was done she began to open her own door. While this happened, Ragnar spoke out again to Rex.

"Can I have you watch the kids for a moment? I'd like to take Aerith down to see it. Just make sure they stay in the jeep."

Rex hesitated a moment, seeming to blanche at the idea. It was clear he didn't like the idea of being a babysitter. But in the end, he managed a nod. "…Sure." He answered, somewhat hesitantly.

On hearing this, Aerith turned around to the twins in the back. They looked to her.

"I'm going to run down and have a look at what daddy's digging up for a little while." She told them. "I want you two to stay in the car and be good while I'm gone. Alright?"

The twins nodded in response. Like most cars for family's, Ragnar's jeep had assorted small toys, coloring books, and other things that small children would play with to pass the time while driving. They had accumulated in there for months, whenever the parents loaded them into the car and brought along something for them to entertain themselves with as time went by. He hadn't cleaned his out since last time, and so there were still several in the back. During the more boring parts of trips, the kids picked them up and played with them. They were also rather useful for moments like this. Normally, two children could entertain themselves without help, but it couldn't hurt.

With that, Aerith finally turned back and began to unbuckle herself. She didn't fully get out of the car until Rex had come to the side and taken his own place in the front driver's seat. He still looked disagreeable about the whole thing, but didn't voice it and tried to look patient enough as he sat down. Once there, Aerith shut her own door and looked over to Ragnar. Already…she could hear the voices escalate in noise. It actually made her pause a moment before she was able to fully focus on her husband.

Ragnar seemed to notice this, but motioned on.

"Let's go in."

* * *

A few minutes later and they were inside.

All the while they had approached, gone down the tunnel, and emerged into the underground area…the sound had continued to sharpen. It continued to grow more and more distinctive, until indeed Aerith no longer felt like she was listening to the Planet at all. This continued until she found herself right here, standing in the midst of the strange shrine and its racks of bowls.

Ragnar stood to one side and let Aerith examine the room. He seemed to be waiting for her verdict. However, it was hard for her to concentrate and think about what she was seeing. The voices were so distinctive in here and so loud that she seemed to try to be thinking or concentrating in the midst of a party or gathering. This was odd. Aerith had heard what people would refer to as "ghosts" before. She had done so years ago, when she had first been living with Elmyra. She had heard her husband come by and bid farewell before passing on into the next life. And there had been many anguished souls that had perished in Nibelheim as well. But never were they this distinct…this collected…

Curious about this, Aerith began to get closer to one of the bowls. She tried to tune her senses on it. And sure enough, as she did get closer…it was like growing closer to someone talking. She tried to close her eyes and focus harder. As she did, she started to feel out along it, try to trace its source…try to see what was making it come right here… She kept doing so as she drew closer and closer…

"Come up with anything?" Ragnar finally asked.

Aerith opened her eyes here. She was a bit surprised at what she saw. Her head had come very close to one of the bowls, and she hadn't even noticed it. She had almost run into it. Or, rather, her lips had almost come to the edge of the water gathered there…

The female Cetra straightened and turned to her husband.

"Again…I've never felt anything like this. But whatever is going on, I don't think it's from the Planet. This seems more like individual spirits." She hesitated here, and began to look somewhat confused. "And yet…"

"What?" Ragnar asked, looking more interested.

"…It's strange." She answered. "It almost feels like…like this place…it's somehow connected to the Lifestream. Like it's draining it…or tapping it…or something like that. Not to make energy, though. It's to bring these spirits here."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow here. "Can you make out what they're saying?" He asked.

Aerith frowned and shook her head. "Nothing that would be normal if the spirit was anywhere else. These are individuals, but they aren't the same individuals. Every few moments, one of the voices seems to be knocked away and replaced by another. Then after a few moments, that one's knocked away and replaced by something else."

"Hmm…" Ragnar answered, but said no more. He turned and began to look over to one of the bowls. He stared at it and seemed to think.

Aerith's own look became confused after a moment. "…Guardian Forces…" She echoed from the covering. "I've never heard of anything like that. Have you?"

Ragnar frowned regretfully. "I was hoping that you knew it."

Aerith shook her head.

The man let out a short sigh. He crossed his arms and turned to the side. "There's only one thing I can think of…" He answered. "It's probably nothing. When I was looking through the records in the City of the Ancients, I seem to remember glancing over some old poem…like a nursery rhyme more than anything potent. The only reason it stuck out in my mind was because the term 'forces' is rarely used in the Cetra language. It implies an ambiguous knowledge of origin of power. Usually they gave it a source. They didn't say anything about 'guardian', but there were eighteen of them."

Aerith gave a shrug. "It's better than nothing. Do you have it?"

"Not yet." Ragnar answered, turning back to Aerith. "I've requested it from our new online database. I'm not sure how long it will take to get here. Hopefully by tomorrow." He hesitated a moment, and then looked at her anxiously again. "Are you sure you can't come up with anything else?"

Aerith shook her head. "I'm sorry. I could try to inquire of the Planet. It's a lot easier since…you know."

Ragnar nodded. "Anyway…let's get back out and cover it up for the day." He concluded. "It's already getting late and it'll take a while to get back. I'm sure the kids don't want to be out too long. That means we won't be able to get to it again until tomorrow."

* * *

It took some time to get the area situated. Now that it was exposed, Ragnar wasn't eager for any damage to happen to it. Luckily, as Aerith had noted on arrival, they had help. The on-site workers, or at least "worker", were helping to cover it up. By the time they got there, the tent was just about secured and pitched. Ragnar hung around to make sure that a few more things were secured against potential water damage, but he only seemed to annoy the worker that was present, appearing to get in his way. Needless to say, only a little later on and everything was prepared. After zipping up the tent for the night, Ragnar loaded up with Aerith, the twins, and now Rex squeezing in between them. After that, they turned and began to take off for Gateway.

It only took about an hour or two longer before the rest of the workers called it a day. After all, they had to drive back as well. After packing away their tools and setting all of their equipment back, they went into their own cars and drove back along the same road.

There was a security guard posted ahead of the entrance. Although most of the valuable things had been removed, there were still a few things left that someone might try to rob that were worth some money. Besides, none of the workers who made a livelihood here were too into the idea of someone treating it as a junkyard. Three teams of guards, each one having a dog on a leash, rounded the complex at regular intervals during the night as well.

Night soon began to fall. It did get rather chilly up here at night, even during the summer. All of the guards were wearing light coats. Around the worst days, they even got out a few breaths of misty air. Tonight experienced a cool front from the mountains to the north, and so that resulted. It wasn't too bad, however. So long as you kept moving and had a coat on, it was bearable. It was a bit harder to cope with when you weren't in one of the large, ground-directed floodlights that rounded the area, but you had to deal with it. The good part was that this environment dissuaded anyone from coming north of the Dome, and to the south there was really only one road in or out that one could hope to cart away things of serious value on.

There had been a few thefts in the past, but there hadn't been anything for close to seven months now. As such, many of the guards were rather bored and lax in their vigil. There were some jobs that, no matter how easy or well paying, were simply too boring to enjoy. This was one of them. Gateway was the most northward human habitation known to the world. There was little or nothing to worry about up here, or even to stimulate one's interest. Anyone hunting, fishing, or camping was sequestered to areas far away from here. There wasn't even a gas station to get a magazine from. As the hours slowly ticked by and the night grew later and later, yawns and even short "noddings off" took place. Many guards daydreamed and tried to think of something besides their long watch.

Hence…none of them were too alert when a silent, large shadow began to approach from the north and pass over the ruins.

* * *

_Why can't they just let us live in peace?_

_Simple answer to that. The same reason I've been avoiding mirrors for the past few months._

Life had not been good to Horus. Everything had gone horribly wrong ever since she and her crew were unfortunate enough to run aground on that rocky shore. That was when fate had made her cross paths with the man/monster named Hoeng. That was when she finally believed for the first time that there truly were things worse than death.

Even seeing him as a mutant himself wasn't satisfying. That was because he didn't _care_. They were horrified at what he had turned them into, but he…he was just making his outside match his own twisted soul. Seeing him die was further cold comfort. And Horus didn't know whether to be furious or grateful when she saw his machine destroyed. There was no way back, true…but one could dream. All she wanted to do was get away from there with Malcolm and his brother. She wanted to go thousands of miles away. Try to forget she had ever been Horus. Try to forget she had ever been human. That she had been born and lived her life as this thing… She went farther north with her friends. She went into the wildest parts of the woods, primitive, untouched forests where bears and owls lived freely. She tried to drink cold water, eat rodents, sleep all day and come out at night…turn herself into what she was. For months she tried to exist as just a creature.

It didn't work.

You couldn't just will yourself to become a dumb animal. And she couldn't pretend that she was savage enough mentally to be one. She was who she was. Her outside was different, but her inside was still the same. And so long as she was with the brothers…then she had to remember who she was. They were different animals now, but she remembered that all three of them had been human once. She couldn't forget that. No matter how hard she tried. Sometimes she tried to yell at them. One day, she hadn't even spoken. She had just screeched at them. Tried to get them to leave her alone. Let her try to forget her humanity. And yet…they wouldn't go. And honestly, she didn't know what she'd do if they did. She'd be alone then…and she didn't want that. She still had too much human in her to want that.

For a few years, it was alright. The war came and went. The north grew warmer, making it easier to find food and live in the wild. They were alone and able to live in peace.

But then…people came. Hunters, campers, outdoorsmen…they moved out and into the forest. It was becoming a craze to go out into the wilderness and engage in activities. Hunting, fishing, hiking…their woods began to fill with humans doing this everywhere. And as they did this, more began to move in and become established. Workers moved in to build homes and businesses. Residents followed. More of their area was taken up by human presence. And the more permanent places that were there, the more people came. Their private world ceased to be so private. Now, they had to worry about interacting with humans.

It seemed easy enough. Go deeper into the forest. Stay away from trails. Move at night. However, everything soon fell through. There was the fact that Horus left owl pellets…and they were clearly not from a traditional owl. Malcolm and his brother left extra large tracks and claw marks. The places where the most food happened to be was also where hunters and fishers went. And people who went off the trails frequently saw signs of them. Some were even out at night, and managed to catch glimpses of them moving in the forest or rustling through a river. It astonished Horus how much people could spread out and be active at all times of night. Even if they were cautioned against it, there were always late night fishers, drunken party goers, people living off the land…

However, what really messed things up was the fact that Horus and the brothers didn't _want_ to hide. Some of it was for food. When it was scarce, it was far easier just to try and steal it from humans. And even if they escaped detection, they usually left enough signs to make people wonder. Yet most of it was simply because the three of them were tired of living as animals. They missed being human. They missed seeing what regular humans did. They missed the sounds of laughter, the crackle of food over fires, the games that families played… And because of that…they came to spy on it. They came to observe…to pretend that they were still sharing in it. And because of this…people soon saw them.

At first, people dismissed them as animals. But when specialists came in, that idea was thrown out the window. These were much larger creatures. Much smarter. And, judging from the pellets they found of Horus and the carcasses of Malcolm, much larger and hungrier. To this people responded with caution and wonder. They thought they were some sort of mythical beasts residing in the woods. Some even tried to sight them for fun. Yet unfortunately…that didn't last. Unlike most modern myths, they didn't stay confined to dark, obscure parts of the woods. They came in frequently to get food and looks at their former fellow men. Soon, it began to become clear that they were real. That there were large creatures in the woods.

And that led to fear.

Soon, the myth talk had died down. Instead, people were thinking it was a new breed of mako mutant, spawned from the work of the New Shinra. And to that end…people began to talk of catching them, dead or alive. Some began to post bounties. And this began to attract hunters. Far more of them than before. After all, it was some sort of new type of unclassified creature. It would be something new to get one. None of them, of course, thought that killing or catching just one would be a problem. After all, there had to be more, right?

Now Horus found herself in the worst position to be in for any non-human…on the other end of a barrel. At first it was a matter of dodging hunters. She learned about it the hard way, unfortunately, when one in a stand took a shot at her passing by one night. She lost some feathers, and was lucky not to lose more. Soon, she and Malcolm were being shot at by all sorts of hunters and bounty men entering the woods. These ones didn't stay to certain areas. They moved throughout the whole forest looking for them. And because of that…Horus and Malcolm were never quite safe. Still, they dared not attack them. All they needed to do was make it proof that they were dangerous to humans. Then they'd be as good as dead.

Yet things were getting worse. Horus found herself flying into mist nets some nights. She barely managed to cut her way loose before humans with flashlights came on her. Malcolm had gotten his leg caught in a bear trap the other night. Now, Horus was forced to break in to get antibiotics for him. She was nearly shot three times when doing so. Hunters were now always swarming the residences, and she essentially had to use her power to fly in, break through a window, and escape again before they bust in on her. She couldn't do anything any less chaotic without appearing to be intelligent…which might be as bad as proving herself dangerous. Yet there was still no rest. Despite her best attempts to leave the world behind, it was coming after her. She had struggled so hard to think of herself as a monster and failed, while the rest of the world had thought that immediately.

When she thought of this…she remembered all the past sins she had committed. She thought of all the people she killed without a thought except to get profit. She thought of how many she had preyed upon and left feeling like hunted, cornered animals. Now the roles had turned. Now, the big prize that everyone was looking for was her hide. She began to wonder if this was her just judgment…to be turned into something considered valuable by others and to be aggressively hunted down and killed. And this was her fate…to one day have her head blown off, and to appear to the world to be nothing but a bizarre abomination…while the name of Horus Preene faded into nothingness as a missing person never found.

To be honest…the thought scared her. More than anything else in her life ever had.

Yet right now, she had to worry about a more immediate threat. Namely the fact that she had been out of water for two days, and so she had flown in to a camping site looking for a drink. Some idiot had dumped illegally into the freshwater stream she normally hit, but she was hardly in a position to be able to go up to a local environmental official and tell them what had happened. She just had to thirst until they found out about it on their own. In the meantime, she went into a camp looking for some pretreated water that outdoorsmen tended to bring with them.

After tonight…her ire had doubled. She began to wonder if the residents of the camp had polluted it on purpose to flush her out. For one thing, their water wasn't stashed away, but sitting out practically in the open, beckoning her to come and get a drink. She began to suspect something on approach. However, she did so too late. Before she could get any of the water, five men with rifles came out and opened fire. It was only because she was able to take off into a vertical climb that she wasn't dead. Even so, they nicked some of her tail feathers. As a result, she couldn't climb again. After gliding back down to the forest floor, she found herself barely capable of getting up to a hundred feet before crashing down again. Not only that, but the hunters were soon after here, trying to finish the job.

That brought Horus here. She had flown here madly, being the only thing she could think of. This was a restricted area to hunters. Though it was hardly private, it was her only chance. She ignored her thirst and pumped her wings as hard as she could to maintain her slight altitude. Every time she lowered, a shot rang out for her, but thankfully none of them came close. In the end, she had to jump up a few trees, being stung by pine needles all the way, until she was high enough to take off and soar over the lights surrounding the Dome ruin and into the complex. The hunters made so much noise that it was easy for the watchman and his dog to come and halt them.

So now, Horus was struggling to stay in a glide long enough to get over the perimeter of the outer Dome edge and into the interior. She was clear of the exterior lights now, but that hardly made her safe. She realized that if she didn't come out again, the hunters might be able to gain entry and keep looking for her. The guards might even help. And though she had managed to get enough altitude to clear the entry, she wasn't sure she could stay out of the lights a second time. Not only that, but she had never been cornered before. They might call in more of their "friends" to make sure the "monster" didn't escape.

As Horus finally managed to clear the exterior and emerged into a wide-open interior area, she realized there was one other option. She could try and run for it. Yet that was hardly a choice. Flight was a horrible strain on her body, especially flight like this. Her wings were already burning, and it was spreading into a headache. Her mouth was parched from lack of water. She used a lot when flying normally, let alone pulling an escape like the one she had just gone through. She couldn't run anymore. She had to rest for at least a while.

Horus' body began to glide toward the ground. It was a miracle for her that her owl feathering made her near silent in flight. Yet now, she began to search the area with her wide eyes. Luckily, despite the blackness of night, an owl could see in almost no light at all. She saw that her best bet might be to go back to the edges. So long as the complex was dark, she could hide in the networks of machinery and corridors for hours. But then again…they probably had lights in there. They could fire them up, and when they did she'd be a sitting duck. It might be a chance she had to take, however. There weren't many other options…

However…that was when she saw the tent.

Horus' eyes flickered down, and noted that the ground beneath her opened up into a very deep pit. It must have been a basement at some point. Yet far below it, down in its midst, was a small tent. Seeing this, her face became intrigued. She had been around enough tents to realize that this one was not for a residence. It was covering up something instead…

_Good as place as any…_ She thought…and redirected her descent for it.

By the time that Horus touched down on the bottom, she already started to pick up the sounds of people shouting far around the edge of the Dome. That sent a wave of fear in her heart. It seemed as if the guards were helping them out. If that was the case, then she had even more to worry about, and less time to act in. As soon as her talons landed, the woman ran to the edge of the tent. Once there, she brushed aside the flap and quickly looked inside.

It was even darker within, but her eyes easily made out that the tent was covering a trap door. Noticing the possibility of a better hiding place, she went over to it and opened up, revealing a very large and deep hole. It almost looked like a crater. It was probably a sinkhole of some sort… It seemed unlikely that they would have lights down there. This was probably just a warning tent, trying to keep people from getting close. That meant they probably wouldn't check down there…

Yet before Horus could consider the possibility that they might…a glow suddenly erupted outside of the canvas. Immediately, she snapped her head back and looked up. To her fear, they were firing up the lights in the Dome interior. That was all she needed. She'd take a chance. Quickly, she closed the flap behind her, and then she went back to the hole and leapt in, yanking the trap door shut behind her. She quickly spread out her arms to brace her descent and began to fall.

Almost instantly, Horus realized this wasn't what it seemed. As she fell, she realized that the hole was shrinking, and it was doing so due to a gradual spiral staircase that rounded the edges. Not only that, but as she fell further down and into darkness, she was able to look and see that lights had been installed in here as well. They weren't on, but that meant this wasn't a good hiding place as she thought. She continued to think about the merits of trying to go and find someplace else…when her talons touched down. Instinctively, her powerful leg muscles braced herself, and her wings collapsed.

The woman only stood still for a moment before she noticed that the ground was uneven where she stood. She looked down, and to her surprise saw that a large hub stone was covering the bottom of this area with some sort of writing on it. There was also some sort of machine attached to it. So this was covering up something as well… For a moment, she thought of going down there. Anything that made her more hidden was good. Yet she could also be trapped there with no way out. And there was the fact that this machine likely would make a lot of noise… Then again, she was so thirsty right now that her panting was loud and being amplified up and down the entire passageway. She couldn't control that either. If she opened it now…it might be soon enough that the people wouldn't hear. They had to listen through the trapdoor, after all. It seemed unlikely…but then again, their generators were loud as well. At any rate, the longer she waited the more risky it became. Finally, she decided.

Horus reached over and activated the machine. True to her thoughts, the result was a loud engine puttering and a whine, but it wasn't nearly as loud as she thought it would be. It did take longer than she would have wanted to pull the hub stone to one side, but it managed to do it. However, she was a bit surprised to find that there was light below. It was pale and green, but as the opening was pried aside it began to shine out. It didn't look industrial or artificial… Yet she had little time to worry about that. She had to go in and douse it. That was all that mattered. The noise was one thing…but if they were to look down the hole and see green light staring back at them, it was a sure giveaway that someone was down here. As soon as the hub was open, she immediately dove inside.

Horus didn't look long at her surroundings. She only looked to try and see the source of the light. She was puzzled at what she saw. Six green beacons seemed to be arranged around the room, illuminated with some sort of light she had never witnessed before. It didn't appear electrical or flame…and she was afraid for a moment she wouldn't be able to douse it…

But then…she noticed a bit of good luck. The device that moved the hub stone extended into this chamber. They had built it to open from both sides. It must have been a failsafe of some sort. She didn't care exactly why it was there, just grateful for it. Immediately, she reached out and pressed the other switch, and hoped she was soon enough to where they wouldn't notice the noise as the hub stone slowly slid back over the entrance. After that, she sat on the ground and panted as she watched it close. After a few moments more, it fully slid over, and clicked to a stop.

The woman slowly tried to catch her breath. It was strange. The air in here seemed fairly fresh, despite the fact that she appeared to be sealed in. That would be a problem too if such was the case. Luckily, she knew that it wasn't like in the movies. She had a little while yet if the air was going to get foul. And she'd know when to open the hub stone long before that. For now, she could just sit tight and try to relax. Chances were she'd have to try and make a run for it before tomorrow morning. Right now, however, she just needed rest. She needed to have her stamina back to do anything.

Seeing this, the woman began to look around the chamber. She was a bit puzzled at the sight. It looked like some sort of area for prayer or votive offerings. There were identical bowls rounding the entire chamber, interspersed among the lights. After staring at them a moment, Horus rose and began to look around a bit more closely at them. Above each one, it seemed, was some sort of stalactite structure, and each one was slowly dripping water into each one of the bowls. There was some sort of symbol written behind each one, but Horus had no idea what it was supposed to mean. All it looked like was that she had stumbled upon some shrine of those "Ancients", the same kind of thing that Aerith and Krystea people were supposed to be…

However, as she looked again, she focused on the bowls in particular…and what was in them.

_Water._

Immediately, Horus' parched mouth began to crave it. A desire in her brain…one that surprised Horus a bit herself…suddenly erupted and demanded that she grab one and down the contents. She actually felt her body move to it for a moment. However…she stopped herself. That would be crazy. This thing had stalactites over it. There was no telling how much filth was being dribbled into these bowls. Or how old these things were. They could be swimming with a million varieties of bacteria…

Yet as she looked on…something changed in her. She felt these doubts and hesitations slowly fade. The water looked pure…and right now, looking pure was good enough. In fact…it was some of the purest water she had ever seen. Far purer than the stream. It looked so cool and refreshing. She hadn't drank anything in so long… Even if it was contaminated…one little bowl couldn't possibly hurt, could it? After all, she had adjusted to most strains of natural bacteria by now. Underground springs should be even cleaner. If she was going to escape, she had to have something to drink. She was so thirsty… She wouldn't have the energy any other way. It made sense if she wanted to get out of here…

Finally, she decided. Horus didn't have "hands", per say, but she was able to make a gripping surface in the crook of her wings. She reached out for one of the bowls, grabbed it as best as she could without getting her feathers in any of the other bowls, and pulled. To her surprise, it came out easily. There wasn't even a sticking that formed with time when objects like these had been touching for so long. Just a bonus, she supposed… At any rate, she pulled it out and to her head. She didn't have the ability to sip anymore, not with her beak. So, instead, she tilted her head back raised the cup over it, and immediately dumped it down her gullet.

Immediately, Horus thought she had made a mistake. She expected a pure, cool, and refreshing taste. What she got was something that was sharp and sour. It wasn't necessarily foul tasting, but it was acrid and tart. It felt almost like she was being shocked by it. She further began to think she had drank some sort of mineral acid as she felt it prickle and tart all the way down her esophagus, through her crop and gizzard. She began to wonder if she had escaped death only to poison herself…

Until it touched her stomach.

There…it really hit her.

The prickling sensation immediately traveled throughout her entire stomach…and then _moved out of it._ It began to spread through her guts and make them prickle and burn as well. The woman froze, and suddenly grasped her middle, feeling the sensation move out. But it didn't stop. It quickly began to travel through the rest of her body. And as it did…it grew worse. It went from a prickling to a shocking. Then a true burning… Horus gagged…and suddenly dropped the bowl all together. Immediately, she formed the best fingers her wings could make and began to itch her belly. The burning was creating some sort of horrible itching sensation there…and it was spreading. It was leeching out to her skin…and it was starting to hurt. Soon, her light itching began to grow more fierce… More frantic... Feathers began to pull out as she struggled to itch herself, moving up to her torso now…

But still it spread. It went out to her arms and her legs…and started to go up her neck. It was growing to be agonizing. It felt like her flesh was being set on fire. Her muscles were starting to twitch violently, writhing from the sensation. Her talons began to raise and scratch her own leg. They did so more and more fiercely, and as they did they began to draw blood. The woman's mind began to fill with fear. What had she done? When would it stop? _Would _it stop?

Horus scratched more and more violently as the pain became harder and sharper. It was all over her. She began to let out a whine from the agony of pain and the fear gripping her soul. It kept getting worse. It was getting maddening... And now…it began to inch up her jaw...

_Not my brain… God, no…not there!_

But she couldn't stop it. Giving a yell of agony, Horus through herself to the ground. Blood smeared everywhere as she struggled to itch herself more and more furiously… Everything was agonizing. Her stomach moving…her heart beating…the blood moving through her veins…it filled her with more and more of that stinging pain…which began to feel almost like electrocution… She banged her head on the ground, trying to bash her own brains out rather than deal with the horrible sensation. She couldn't think of anything else. She couldn't do anything else. And there was nothing she could do to keep the sensation from entering her brain and flashing through it.

A single sonic screech went out…loud…powerful…shaking the bowls all around her…and sounding almost like two separate voices…before Horus went completely limp.

At that moment, the stalactite perched over the bowl that Horus had taken seemed to absorb the drop of water that had been hanging off the end of it, and went dry forever.

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The "uncle" term used earlier in the chapter by one of Cloud's kids regarding Ragnar is a term of endearment...not to be taken as evidence that Ragnar told Cloud the truth about their relationship.


	3. Time Lag

...Alright, you guys have caught me with my keyboarding britches down.

I was still deciding how to go about "The Diablos Saga" when I was writing "The Aleron Saga". One of the points that I frequently waffled on was whether or not I should have Horus reappear in this current storyline. At the time I wrote her departing, I figured that I was going to do something that was going to keep her in the story but keep Ragnar from seeing her as Horus again. But since then, I worked out the logic in the story and found a way to keep that in there. While I was looking back the other day to try and remember if I had named Malcolm's brother prior to this point, I realized I had put in a line about Ragnar never seeing her again. At the time, I figured, "Oh, that's probably a line I corrected when I published it." (I do a lot of editting between writing it down and posting it, after all.) Yet a comment from nightdragon0 revealed that such was not the case. That also proves that at least some of you out there remember me writing that in the first place.

Not wanting to purposely insert a plot hole, I thought about going back and changing what I had written to make it all kosher. But there were too many items that had already taken place, and it would have been a nightmare to try and edit out. So instead, I'm going to have to feel extremely amateur and sloppy and ask those of you reading to forget I wrote that...

I might be able to employ a "George Lucas" (as regarding C-3PO). Technically, Ragnar never sees Horus again the same way he saw her last time...

* * *

Tifa could only sigh.

She hoped that was the only response this sort of thing would need…although she began to doubt it. It was best not to call Aerith and Ragnar about it yet. It would only make them regret leaving.

Luckily there hadn't been anything broken, and luckily this had been in the classroom portion of the school. But that didn't change the fact that the kids wouldn't be using the playground today. Some of it was only kid's stuff. The playground equipment had been wrapped in tight cellophane, meaning that no one would be able to get on it until it was all ripped off and thrown away. Rotten garbage had been thrown all over the pavement. It wasn't just paper trash. Lots of it was old food. Some of it was rotten meat, and it was attracting flies and filling the air with a horrible stench.

However…some of it was worse. There was a lot more grafitti this time. Some of it ruined what Denzel and Azure had whitewashed. But more of it had been painted over the windows and the brickwork on the side of the building. A lot of it was obscenities that the students didn't need to read. Then there was some very foul smelling material smeared all over the doors. Tifa didn't need to be a biologist or chemist to recognize dog feces.

Tifa stared at it a long time. The wind came by and pulled at some of the paper trash. It also blew an odor near her nostrils. Close behind her stood two of her sons, looking out with a much grimmer demeanor.

"Stupid bastards." Denzel stated.

"Don't swear." Tifa immediately answered, though she didn't turn around.

"I bet I know who it was." Azure spoke up. "I've heard jerks at school last spring bragging about doing something like this. Ones with real mouths on them… I bet if you let me and Denzel look around a bit…"

"Your father is checking it out." Tifa immediately cut off. That was true. Cloud had come back just last night. He meant to take some time off, but seeing as he was the first awake that morning and seeing what had been done, he opted instead to track down those responsible. And Tifa trusted him. She knew he wouldn't step over the line, but she also knew he had ways of scaring people into not engaging in bad behaviors again. This would especially come in useful if he ran into any defensive parents… "The only thing you two need to do is help me clean this up."

Both Denzel and Azure groaned at this. Tifa, however, simply bent down next to the nearest piece of trash. With one flick of her wrist, she snapped open a garbage bag in her hand. After that, she picked up the trash and threw it in. Soon she was going for another. Only then, very ruefully, did Denzel and Azure pick up their own cans of whitewash and move to do the same job they had done last night.

Tifa hoped this wasn't going to be a habit. Even if it didn't get any worse, they couldn't do this every day. They could try putting barbed wire over the fence…but that would only make their environment seem more like a prison. That certainly wouldn't go well over the students, the parents, or the community. It was times like this that Tifa secretly wished to know if Aerith possessed any mind control abilities in her repitoire…

"What if they do this again?" Denzel called as he set his paint can down in front of the sign. "We can't just let them keep it up."

"We'll worry about that when and if it happens." Tifa simply responded…secretly saying a prayer that it wouldn't as she picked up another piece of refuse.

* * *

"So…see anything yet?"

Ragnar gave a regretful frown and shook his head in response. He had time to read today, thanks to Rex. After forcing him to watch the kids yesterday and sit sandwiched between them on the ride back, he had been allowed to drive them in today. As a result, Ragnar was left sitting in the passenger seat. Aerith was holding up in the back in Rex's former position, letting the kids tell her about all of the sights and sounds that they were experiencing on the way to the Dome, being in the child mentality of assuming that their mother wasn't seeing it, or at least not in the same way.

Ragnar was grateful for the chance to spend a night with his family for once, but he was still stuck when it came to this place they had discovered. He supposed he could have just dismissed it as nothing…but something inside him wouldn't allow that idea. After all, there was no way the New Shinra shouldn't have come across that place while building the Dome. They couldn't have been that lucky to have missed going through a precious four inches of rock and not find it. And Ragnar might not have been as attuned as Aerith, but even he could sense that something wasn't right here. It didn't matter if the Planet was silent about it.

The unfortunate thing here was that although Aerith and himself both had a "sixth sense" about Planetary concerns and the ability to sense what it was feeling, the fact of the matter was that at a time like this they could use some old wisdom. Ragnar knew who he would normally turn to for wisdom at this point…but that thought only made him feel downheartened inside. It didn't matter that it had been almost six years now. He still missed his master. He almost thought of trying to contact him now, of using his ability to listen to the spirits to find him. But that was probably useless. Bahamut's spirit had to have returned to the Lifestream and been "recycled". As for his soul…that was in the next world…

That left him here alone to try and figure out thing for himself. And, he had to admit, that was the more mature way of handling things…

Rex had been nice enough to hand him a rough copy of the poem this morning. The crew back in Gateway had faxed it over as soon as they had managed to find it. During the car ride, Ragnar had been reading over it and puzzling about the meaning. The unfortunate matter was that it was in common tongue now. There was no way of entering the Cetra characters, and even if there was, there was only a handful of people on Gaia that could translate it: Ragnar, Aerith, and whoever they had taken the time to teach. As a result, he knew he was looking at a somewhat biased version. Although he had likely been the one who originally translated it, he wished he could see the original Cetra characters. Sometimes there were double meanings that, at the time, were biased in favor of one meaning or the other. Those could be misinterpreted, given current events…

"Near as I can tell, it's just a nursery rhyme, like I remembered it." Ragnar answered. "There might be some mythological value in it, but if there is it's long since been put in a simpler language for children to understand. If it is supposed to be history, then there's no records that coincide with it."

"What's it say?" Aerith asked from the back, tuning in to the conversation.

Ragnar looked up a bit and ahead. The Dome was already pulling up in the distance. The checkpoint was open during the day, and they went through easily without being stopped by a guard. Soon there'd be time to go back down and check out more, though this rhyme wasn't going to help his investigation much. At any rate, he exhaled and looked back down to the paper to answer Aerith's question.

"Well…we all know that the Cetra always believed in the Four Elements, correct? That they were the source of all things and substances, on this world and beyond?"

Aerith, unseen, gave a nod. "Yes."

"What this rhyme essentially did was go to another level of heirarchy. It's not necessarily different from what the ancient alchemists thought of the nature of the universe, although I've never heard of any Cetra scientists or researchers establishing this second hierarchy as anything significant. It could have just been made up. There might even be a more complete list than this. This particular rhyme might only possess eighteen by chance. I might find a rhyme somewhere with more stanzas."

"What elements?" Aerith asked, now sounding intrigued regardless.

"That's just it." Ragnar answered. "They aren't called elements. Like I said yesterday, they call these ones 'forces'. Some are pretty basic. Pure Fire, Pure Earth, Pure Wind, Pure Water, Lightning, Ice, Crystal… Then there's others that seem to be more potent. Sun, Moon, Decay, Holy, Nature, Steel… Then there's some that are just strange and very abstract. I see Music, Vigor…Life…Death…and Eternity. At any rate, they're all formed from assemblages of three of the other elements. Pure Fire is three fire elements. Lightning is two fire elements and a wind. Order is important though. If there's wind first and then two fires, it's the Sun. There's some redundancy too. The Moon is either two winds and a water, or wind, water, and wind again. When you think about it, it's almost like a primitive form of the genetic code."

"So you think those bowls conform to those force things?" Rex ventured.

Ragnar gave a shrug. "Like I said, there's no reason to believe there aren't more than just these eighteen. It might just be an incidence of luck. And even if there wasn't, then what? We don't know which is which. And even if we did, we…Huh?"

Rex, who had barely been paying attention to the road and more on his boss, suddenly saw Ragnar look out in confusion. When he did, he immediately looked forward as well, and his eyes widened a bit. "What the hell?"

Aerith looked up from the kids herself and to the driver. "Hey, watch your language in front of the children…" However, she soon trailed off, and looked confused up ahead. "What's going on?"

The twins soon looked up as well, and they saw what the adults were now looking at.

There was little to no work going on right now. Instead, it looked like a few of the security guards were still on duty. Right now, they were blockading the one road into the Dome. Several trucks, pieces of heavy equipment, and irate construction workers were massed there. They all seemed to be yelling and arguing with the guards at the moment, and they formed such a mob that it was almost impossible to see through them to the guards beyond. Ragnar soon noticed that there was another group in there as well. There seemed to be a dozen outdoorsmen with rifles gathered in the front, and they were yelling the most of all. However, no one in the car could tell what it was about.

Rex and the others continued to look confused. However, he merely dropped speed and kept coming forward at a crawl. The people around him continued to look angry, but they slowly parted as the car rolled forward. Most of them continued to shout up ahead regardless. Ragnar could barely make it out, but it sounded like they were arguing about being let in to work. At least, that's what the workers were saying. The hunters were less clear, but seemed to be insisting on something. The hunters, on seeing the car, seemed to be more angry that they were getting through and that they were stuck out there. Some of the workers, however, looked relieved when they noted Ragnar was in the front passenger seat. At any rate, they did manage to push through until they got to the front.

There, they had to stop. The guards were forming a wall in front of the entrance. One of them put a hand out that forced Rex to put on the brakes or run him over. He soon halted the car. As it idled, the guard began to walk forward toward the driver's side window. He was looking rather tired and uncomfortable at the moment, and he was regretful and uneasy when he put his head through the window. He began to go through a rehearsed speech before he even fully looked inside.

"Sorry, gentlemen. The Dome is cloistered off until…"

At that moment, he stopped. He noticed who was in the car. His eyes widened a bit in surprise, but then turned to relief.

"Oh, General Rag…I mean, Mr. Vice! I'm glad to see you here!"

Ragnar leaned forward, looking past Rex, and out to the man. "What's the problem?"

"It's a monster, sir." The guard answered. "Big one. One we've never seen before. We found it this morning when some guys headed down to get the site opened up for you. They opened it up, and there was some big bird thing down there. Apparently, last night there was a big ruckus. Some of these hunters were after it and they chased it here. They were just starting to back off when we found it." He frowned here, and motioned behind the jeep. "Now they're getting all worked up…wanting to come in here and try shootin' the thing when we've got so many people crammed in this area. Say there's a bounty for it. Well, I wasn't going to let them in here to shoot wild and peg one of our guys or ruin some ten thousand gil piece of equipment." The man lost his frown and soon sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to open the site with this thing running around, but I'm afraid if I let in some ranger that these hunters will follow. Besides, I don't know how dangerous it is and what'll do to a bunch of pistol-packing greenhorns. Now the crews are starting to get angry at me for holding up the work."

Ragnar gave a nod in response. "I understand. We'll handle it right away."

The guard gave a smile in response. "Great news, sir. Go right in. You know the spot."

The man went to one side and motioned them on. Almost immediately, Ragnar caught a rather loud yell from the hunters.

"How come they get to go in?"

"Damnit, I want my money! I'm not going to let them steal it from me!"

But Rex didn't stick around to see if anyone would try anything. He immediately gunned the engine and took off. Soon, they were leaving the barricade far behind and passing into the tunnel.

"Monster?" Aerith asked. "There's monsters running around everywhere up north. What's the problem?"

"Usually they stay clear of areas like this." Ragnar explained. "If they get loose in the complex, they might breed and infest the place with things they don't want around. I still remember Cloud telling me I nearly got eaten by mutant rats that one time in the Dome." He paused here, and gained a thoughtful tone. "Still…"

"What's the big deal?" Rex answered with a shrug. "Nothing you can't handle, right boss?"

"That's not what gets me." Ragnar responded, still sounding puzzled. "What does is that they didn't see it until they opened it up."

Rex furrowed his brow and gave a shrug. "So?"

"So that means it was in the inner shrine." Ragnar answered. "There's no other way in or out except the hub stone. There's no way to move it without operating the machine. And since when have the monsters around here been intelligent or dextrous enough to operate a machine like that?"

Rex went silent after that. Ragnar had a point there. Aerith had already picked up on it by the time Rex had realized it herself. This was a mystery. Of course…they still had little reason to be worried. Aerith most of all. With a wave of her hand she could restrain a Dual Horn completely. Still, the thought of being face to face with any creature, especially a new mutation, made her uncomfortable. You never knew what to expect…

It didn't take long to make it through the tunnel. Soon they were out in the open again. A few moments later, and they were once again on the ramp headed downward to the former sub basement. Ragnar looked out and tried to see what was going on. He saw that the tent was fully erected now, but that three of the security guards were there, probably from tonight's shift. In addition, it looked like three other workers were hanging around, seeming to have been impressed into labor. It seemed for now they were just holding still. The workers had some tools they were using as weapons, while the security guards had pistols. Other than that, there was little in the way of armiments.

"…Something's wrong."

Immediately, Ragnar turned around behind him to who had spoken. Rex nearly did as well, before panicking and turning back.

"What, Aerith?"

"The voices…" The female Cetra responded, staring on at the ground. She began to look confused. "They've…changed… There's one of them now that's sticking out clearly…but it's silent…almost as if it's unconscious or something…"

Ragnar looked back a bit longer, but then slowly turned back ahead as Rex came off the ramp. He said nothing else, but began to realize that whatever this monster was…it might have done something to the shrine. And if that was the case, he wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe nothing. Then again…if it had altered the pattern of the voices…

At long last, the jeep pulled up to the tent. Rex brought it to a halt and threw it in park. Once they were there, Ragnar immediately unfastened his belt and turned behind him.

"Stay here. I'll take care of it."

Aerith was a bit hesitant on hearing that, but after a moment she gave a nod. She was clearly the strongest one here, but Ragnar wasn't a pushover himself. He might not have possessed the power of Ragnamut anymore, but he was still one of the best swordsmen alive. And he had mastery of flame as well. With that in mind, he turned and went for his door. After grasping the handle and unfastening it, he quickly stepped out from the jeep and touched down on the ground. Once he was fully standing, he turned to the workers and guards, now staring at him, and shut the door behind him.

For now, the jeep was still between him and the other people. With that in mind…Ragnar decided to do one thing before they got a good look at him. After hesitating a moment…he held one of his hands down and snapped his fingers.

A "whoosh" sound erupted as a flame flickered out at his feet. It burned nothing, and so there was no smoke. Yet Ragnar immediately held his hand out and grasped something within the fire. A moment later, and the flames seemed to solidify and sharpen. Some of them became smooth while others curved back. After a moment more they died all together, but something flickering and flamelike was still in his hand. Ragnarok had been summoned to him. Now, the sword of fire rested in his palm. Quite casually, he stepped out from behind the jeep, and raised the blade and put it over his shoulder. Although it was double edged, the blade immediately became flat and dull as it touched its owner's skin, preventing itself from hurting him.

The others turned to him, and immediately recognized the blade. Even if they hadn't formerly been in the service of the PPA (although most of the workers up here were, in fact), they knew from the sword that this was Ragnar Vice, and that he was capable of handling a situation like this. Hence, they stayed back and didn't offer anything to bar his way.

"So it's down the shaft?" Ragnar asked as he disembarked.

One of the guards nodded. "That's right, Mr. Vice. In the inner shrine. The door's wide open, so you should be able to see it pretty soon down there."

"But I wouldn't go in, mister." Another immediately chimed in. "That thing's out right now. Asleep or something. But you won't be able to go anywhere if you wake it up."

"I'll be fine." Ragnar answered. "Just hang out up here and make sure it doesn't get away."

With that, the man turned and went to the tent. Here, he shifted his sword down and leveled it at his side. Once he reached the flap, he immediately opened it and stepped inside. He shut it again behind him after entering, not knowing if the light or wind would have an effect. After that, he turned his full attention ahead of him.

The large crater was still in the ground with the trap door ajar, and the stairs were still rounding it. The only real difference now was that a pale green light was shining up from below. The hub stone had definitely been moved. He paused a moment here, listening for any sounds or sudden movements. He heard nothing. Even the sound of breathing didn't make it up this high. Once he had ascertained this, he gripped his sword tighter and went to the edge. Soon, he began to start his way down.

Immediately, Ragnar realized that Aerith was right. Something _was_ different here. The cloud of voices was faint to him, but already…they seemed just the slightest bit weaker. Not only that, but there seemed to be one presence in particular now standing out. That was strange… The only person down there was the monster, right? Perhaps something had been wrecked… If that was the case, he was a bit upset. He hadn't even figured out the purpose of the shrine yet, and it had already been damaged. There was nothing for it, however, and so he began to descend.

He had gone fairly deep before he was able to clearly look through the open hub stone and see something. Even then, he wasn't able to make it out. The aperture wasn't large enough to get a good view. At any rate…it wasn't moving. Swallowing a bit, he kept moving down the long tunnel. As he continued to descend, he finally recognized something. It looked like a raptorial talon. The claws on it were far larger than on a normal bird of prey, however. They looked more than capable of disemboweling him. Yet they were also only slowly moving, and barely at that. It seemed as if whatever it was was indeed asleep. Ragnar raised his blade a bit higher, and continued to go down the long spiral.

Ragnar tried to keep his feet quiet as he continued to descend. It seemed to work. He didn't see the talons move any further. He couldn't see much more, unfortunately. The aperture simply wasn't designed to let him. He had to wait until he was right on it. Finally, he reached the last set of steps and stepped off onto the bottom. Once there, he quietly shifted himself over to the edge of the hub stone's opening. He slowly bent his knees and looked through the opening.

Ragnar stopped immediately and expressed some surprise.

_Horus…_

It was a little hard to forget the woman who had been crossed with a snowy owl. He had seen her only for a little while years ago, but the man had thought of her from time to time, and what sort of life she might have been able to make for herself. Now, she was right here it seemed. This was the monster that they had been hunting. It made sense. After all, Ragnar could assume that Horus fled somewhere with no people. This wilderness would have provided a good spot. Yet it wasn't so empty anymore. More people had moved in since…and they could have easily mistaken her for a monster.

However…that wasn't all he noticed. The woman had changed. Although she was currently sprawled on the ground with wings outstretched…she looked different. Her snowy owl coloration was gone. Instead, he saw that her feathers were bright and golden with white interspersed. As a result, she formed some sort of flowing pattern that seemed to spread over her wings and go downward. The tips of her wings also looked longer…almost trailing. The same with her tail feathers. That golden color…it was bright and intense. Even in the dim green light, it seemed bright to behold. Reflective…almost like his own sword…

Lastly, he saw one other thing.

One of the bowls from the shrine was empty next to her.

Ragnar furrowed his brow at this. _Did she actually drink one?_

At any rate, now wasn't a time to wonder about that. Horus didn't look at rest. She looked hurt. No doubt, some of those hunters may have tagged her, thinking she was some sort of monster. That meant that Ragnar had to go down and try to get her out. They were hardly friends, but he knew that she was human somewhere inside that body. He couldn't let her be hunted down like an animal. He had no idea what those above would think…but somehow he had to get her away from here and back to Gateway without the others knowing.

With that in mind, Ragnar released his hilt and quickly waved his hand. Immediately, the blade vanished in a whiff of flame. He wasn't really making it appear and disappear. The truth was he was able to summon it to himself and away from himself. Right now, it was reappearing at his office back in Gateway. Unfortunately, that was the only object he seemed capable of teleporting. Yet he didn't think he'd need it. Horus was dangerous, but she knew him. Immediately, he went to the edge of the aperture, no longer caring about noise he made, and leapt down into the interior.

Horus didn't even stir. She was breathing, but other than that she didn't react. Ragnar saw this, and grew a bit worried. Maybe she had been hurt. He didn't see any blood…

Quickly, he went to the side of the manimal. He bent down next to her head soon after. He reached out and placed his hand on the feathers on her shoulder, and shook her slightly.

"Horus?" He called out in a quiet voice, not wanting the others above to hear. "Horus…can you hear me?"

The figure shifted slightly as she was shook for a few moments. She didn't give any other reaction, however. Ragnar shook her a bit harder, trying to get her to wake up. He didn't seem to be getting anywhere for a few moments…

Until, most abruptly…Horus' eyes snapped open.

Ragnar saw this, and immediately snapped back.

They weren't owl eyes anymore. They were burning with light.

* * *

_"SCREEEEEE!"_

Aerith, Rex, the twins, and the six gathered around immediately snapped up and looked over to the tent. Aerith, not quite knowing why to this day, immediately tensed up and wanted to react. She reached over to the door on the side, unfastened it, unbuckled herself at the same time, and then got up and walked around and past Simoa to the exit. By the time she passed out of the door, the other six people were already closing in on the tent. Everyone was immediately on edge. The sound that had ripped out from it had been sonic and deafening…and most certainly not belonging to a human or a machine. It was whatever creature was down there…

As Aerith went out and began to shut the door behind her, making sure that the twins were safe inside…something suddenly came. In a flash, the tent was suddenly yanked upward and then ripped out of its moorings. Something large had suddenly come skyward and ripped into it. Something that could fly. The surrounding men gave a cry and leapt back. Aerith herself had just finished shutting the door when she too lunged back in surprise, forgetting her own power. As for whatever the source was, it shot into the heavens. It was covered by the canvas of the tent, but it thrashed about within it. Aerith looked up as she recovered, and was able to see wings struggling to beat. Some sort of flying thing was within…

This lasted only a moment before the people remembered their bravery. The guards raised their pistols to shoot. Aerith caught this out of the corner of her eye. She looked down…and for some reason felt the need to tell them to stop… A strong urge within her suddenly erupted and demanded it. But before she could understand this, let alone say anything, they opened fire.

Luckily for whatever was in the canvas…it suddenly seemed to falter. The wings stopped beating, and abruptly the shape dropped. It went totally limp in an instant, seeming to suddenly lose all the strength it had just demonstrated. It collapsed to the ground like a stone, letting the bullets sail harmlessly past where it had been, and crashing against the mud and stone a second later. It had managed to gain some distance, going back toward where Aerith and the jeep was, before landing. In doing so it managed to avoid going back down the hole.

Shocked, fearful, and wondering if they had killed it, the guards held back. The workers seemed to do the same. They put a bit more distance between themselves and the tarp, and looked down at it. Aerith, on the other hand, moved in a bit closer, peeling herself off the car and setting a critical gaze on it. As she drew nearer, she looked for signs of life. At first, there didn't seem to be any. She thought the guards might have indeed killed it.

Yet then…she saw it. The tarp abruptly shifted. Slowly…the edge of a golden-feathered wing began to move out.

Aerith froze in her step. The nearby guards pulled their guns on it again.

"Don't kill it!"

Aerith and the workers immediately turned their heads around to the source of the noise. It was coming from the now-exposed crater. Instantly, Aerith recognized it as Ragnar. He sounded healthy and unstrained, and she realized that whatever it was hadn't attacked him. Currently, she heard footsteps running up the spiral pathway again.

"Uhh…"

This sudden moan redirected Aerith's attention, turning her back to the tarp. She noticed something about it immediately. It wasn't animal or vicious…but was human sounding. It even seemed female. She looked back to the wing, and saw it continue to shift out from underneath the tarp. As it did…a feathered head began to come with it. It too was covered with golden colors…but Aerith began to recognize it. Her own memory went back to a rather unpleasant time, and remembered a person from it.

"Horus?" Aerith called out. "Is that you?"

The figure only moaned again. It struggled to move a bit farther…but then seemed totally exhausted. It stopped and slumped to the ground. One of its wings sprawled out and its head went low. Seeing this, Aerith no longer had any more fear. She immediately ran forward to its side and bent down next to it. The workers seemed hesitant at this and nearly spoke up, but then held their tongues and waited a bit longer. Ragnar's footsteps continued to become louder as he kept running upward.

As for Aerith, she soon found herself practically kneeling next to the head of Horus. She was different now. Last time, she had been a snowy owl hybrid. Now she seemed to have a golden tint… Aerith was about to dismiss it anyway and say something to the manimal…when she hesitated. Now that she was free of fear and surprise for the moment, her senses began to go to work again. She once again was detecting the changed collection of voices, but more importantly the one voice that was sticking out. Now it was active and moving…

And it was right in front of her, coming from fallen person.

Aerith hesitated a bit longer, wondering what this meant, but then licked her lips and ventured talking. "…Horus?"

"Mmm…" The figure answered. It seemed to struggle to move, but didn't get that far. Yet a moment later, and Aerith felt some relief. Clear words came out. "Feel…so…weak…"

"You'll be alright." Aerith immediately reassured. She and Horus had hardly been friends, but she realized what was going on. The woman had to have been hunted down to this place. She was hardly going to let that happen to another human being, regardless of what they looked like or their past. She was a victim too. "It's Aerith. Do you remember me?"

The head shifted slightly. The figure moaned again. Slowly, however, it managed to turn and look up to Aerith. The eyes were shut at first, but once focused on her opened.

To Aerith's surprise, they were pupilless, and filled with bright light…almost like lightning.

To her further surprise…they soon creased.

"You're…a Cetra?" It asked.

Aerith looked a bit puzzled in response to this. Hadn't Hoeng told her that? Even if he hadn't, why was she noticing it now? She gave a nod, however. "…Yes…yes I am."

"Never…seen one…before…" The woman slowly exhaled. "Has…the battle…started?"

Aerith continued to look confused. "…Battle?"

"The Goddess…needs…me…" The woman answered. "Where…am…I? Is this…a prison…?"

The Cetra continued to look confused. "Horus? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

This, however, made the person really confused.

"Why…do you…keep calling me…Horus? Who…is Horus…?"

"It's alright, guys. Stand down. She won't hurt anyone."

Aerith barely had any time to register this latest and most puzzling comment before she heard Ragnar's voice. She looked up and around, and saw that her husband had emerged from the underground and was now struggling to get the rest of the workers to stay back.

Horus seemed indifferent. Instead, she looked over Aerith next, only seeming more confused, and then turned her head and looked around her. As time went by, she seemed to be steadily regaining more strength, but still appeared to be weakened. "What…is this place…?" She asked. "It's twisted…made of…iron stone… Is this…the Fiend's…lair?" A pause. "No…the sun…is shining…"

"That thing looks like a monster to me…"

"Seriously…it's alright. Just…give me a minute."

Aerith was continuing to look at Horus when Ragnar suddenly came rushing up to the both of them. Immediately, he bent down next to them and looked to Aerith. She was still staring at the manimal for the moment, but he spoke to her none the less.

"I don't know what's going on." He told her. "I saw her lying at the bottom. I tried to wake her up, and when she did she gave a screech and tried to fly away. She seemed to ignore me though."

Here, Horus turned her head to Ragnar. "…Another Cetra…" She spoke aloud. "Am I in…a colony…of yours?"

Ragnar looked down to her in response. "Horus, are you shot? What's happened to your eyes?"

"Horus again…?" The woman answered. "I'm not… My eyes? What about…?" In response to this, she began to raise her wing toward her face, as if to feel them. Yet as she did, she turned her head over to her tip. Immediately…Horus' eyes widened. Not extremely due to her seeming exhaustion, but they did look stunned.

"My…my wing…" She remarked. "This…this isn't my wing…" Almost immediately afterward, she turned her head down and looked beneath the flap. She looked to the rest of her body…and seemed to grow more confused and distraught. "This isn't my body… I'm…I'm in a different body… What's happened to me…? Where am I? Why is everything…so different…? Why can't I sense…any other espers…?"

Now Ragnar looked surprised.

"Espers? What do you mean 'espers'? How do you know about espers?"

"Ragnar…"

This word was flat and calm. Ragnar immediately realized it came from his wife. He looked up and over to her in response. As for Aerith, she turned back up and looked to him plainly. Her confusion was gone.

"I understand why I'm feeling this now." She stated simply. "This isn't Horus."

That only made the man look confused.

"No…this is her. The coloring may be different, the body a bit altered…but it has to be her. It's the same shape and-"

"Not in that sense." Aerith cut off. "This is her body. I agree there. But her spirit has totally changed. I can sense it. Before she had the soul of a normal human. Now…there's some sort of very powerful force radiating through her. And it definitely isn't human. She's been possessed."

Ragnar's eyes truly widened now. He looked back down to Horus. She continued to look around in confusion. She was growing uncomfortable too, and it seemed like she was trying to move. But she wasn't getting too far. However…Ragnar realized that what Aerith said made sense. She was right. He could detect massive amounts of energy pouring off of Horus from within…potency of spirit that was beyond what normal humans possessed. And it wasn't naturally human either. Ragnar had never sensed anything like this before. It was so strong even he couldn't overlook it. There was some sort of different spirit within Horus now. Something that didn't belong to her.

This only made him more confused, however. "But…how is it…"

Then…he remembered.

_The empty bowl next to Horus' body…_

_Could it have…?_

"What's going on…?" Horus asked, growing more agitated. "Where is the Goddess? Why won't you answer me…?"

"Calm down." Aerith responded, a command but with a very gentle voice. "Just relax a bit longer. Something's happened that's confusing us as well as you. Give us a few moments more."

The manimal seemed impatient, but given her weakened state she was forced to do as she was told.

Aerith looked back up to Ragnar afterward. He looked back to her.

"What now?" She asked. "This is out of the realm of anything I've experienced. I don't think Cloud or the others would know much more either. I've never seen anything like this before…having a spirit moving into another's body… Except with Azure and Sephiroth, and I don't think that will work here."

Ragnar hesitated himself. He wasn't sure what to do now. He wasn't even sure what had happened, or how the bowl or the shrine tied into this. This was a lot of new information to process at once, and he didn't know where to start. However, he was a quick and analytical thinker. And soon, some bits of what had to be done began to come back to him.

"…First, we need to get her out of here." He finally said. "We can't let her stay here with all of these hunters around. Then I think we should try to get back to our research station near Gateway. This is well out of my realm and I'm not sure if anyone at Cosmo Canyon would know anything, but there's one researcher there who's been working on issues with spirit dynamics and how they relate to both the Planet and other living things. She's been helping us out quite a bit since we started out. She even came up with a theory of how the Planet was able to contact me and teach me to read the Cetra language."

"Who is she?" Aerith asked.

"An old veteran from the Volunteer War." Ragnar asked. "Shalua Rui."

* * *

Getting Horus out of there…or whoever was currently residing inside Horus…turned out to be a miniature adventure in itself.

It didn't help the fact that Horus was totally confused about everything. Aerith, fortunately, seemed to have her ability to connect with people a lot easier than normal. As a result, after much coaxing, she managed to get her to go into the car. There wasn't enough room for all of them…and so Rex once again was the odd man out, and had to content himself with going down into the shrine to see if any other damage had been done. It was really all that made sense. They needed Ragnar's authority. Aerith probably would understand things better than any of them, and she could help out with her own magic. And the kids weren't going to be abandoned… Instead, they got to first recoil in fear but then marvel in wonder as a bird person took the front. Having no other way of hiding her, they were forced to put the tent tarp around her body, making her stick out like a sore thumb but at least not look inhuman. All during this, Ragnar continuously tried to get the six there to forget about what they had seen, and also radio ahead for them to be able to get clear so they could drive as fast as possible. It took a while, but eventually they trusted Ragnar enough to radio that the monster had escaped. The site was now clear.

A few minutes later, and the jeep was rushing out of the tunnel and past the perimeter. Some hunters were still there, and they swore at them as they passed by for making them miss out on thousands of dollars. However, if any of them saw a humanoid covered in tarp in the front seat and became suspicious, they didn't stick around long enough to find out. The rest of the workers returned to their jobs as the jeep sped away from the Dome and made for Gateway as fast as possible.

Soon they were bombarded by questions. Horus didn't understand why she had to hide, how the "wagon" moved so fast without horses or magic, and why she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. Luckily for them, whoever was running around inside of Horus' body seemed docile enough. She was too confused to run off on her own for now…or at least too weakened. She was forced to stay with them. As a result, she was safely taken back to Gateway and back into Ragnar's research complex. Not long after that…they pulled in front of the building that marked Shalua Rui's personal laboratory.

Now, about an hour after that, Aerith was getting her first look at this woman.

Almost immediately, the Cetra pitied her. She looked like a woman who had undergone incredible pain. On outward appearances, she seemed to just be a regular 31 year old. She was pretty, and had a "bookish" look about her, with her brown hair messy, tied back just to stay out of the way, glasses perched on her nose for close reading, and a lab uniform that made her look straight out of Shinra's old science department. Yet what truly got Aerith was her handicaps. The woman had lost an arm and an eye. The arm had a rather flimsy replacement. In Barret's case, he had only lost a hand, and it was fairly easy to rig up a mental signal that either fired a gun or simply closed a grip. This woman was missing an arm all the way to her elbow, and it seemed to be practically useless. It didn't go into the sleeve of her coat, and so its metallic, lifeless surface stood out while looking at her walk around her lab. What stood out even more, however, was her missing eye. She didn't try to cover this up. Instead, she walked around with one eye closed…likely sewn shut to hide the missing orb within. Aerith couldn't help but stare at these things when she got there.

Despite that, however, the woman got around fairly well. She had a serious air about her, but it wasn't nearly as terrible as scientists that Aerith had known in the past. She was friendly enough, shaking Aerith's hand and saying she was pleased to meet her after all this time. She actually felt somewhat at ease around the woman, which was saying a lot considering the fact that Aerith's encounters with scientists in the past had been less than memorable. And that was even more so considering where she was situated…

Shalua's lab looked a lot like some of the more cutting edge facilities that the Shinra had possessed. Smooth metal walls, clean surfaces, lots of technology that Aerith couldn't even pretend to recognize, and a picture of experimental sophistication and "cutting edge"-ness. Although it was tidy, there were still far too many things for the twins to get into. And though Aerith would normally watch them at this point, she earnestly wanted to see what would happen here. Luckily for her, Shalua and Reeve went way back. There were actually two Cait Sith robots hanging around the facility, one complete with moogle. They managed to act as babysitters and keep the kids confided to the lounge, where they could watch TV or interact with the robots. That left Aerith free in the lab, and so she had taken a seat at the side of where most of the activity was happening and watched.

Luckily, Horus was still complying for the moment…although she seemed to be growing a bit more confused and potentially agitated. Shalua had directed the manimal into a large device in the center of the room. It seemed to be a large tank with devices above and below it. It reminded Aerith far too much of her captivity in the Shinra HQ Building and her brief stay in one of Hoeng's teleportation pods, but for now it seemed alright. Shalua actually made a seat come out of the floor inside, and allowed Horus to sit in it. She attached a few sensors to Horus, but did nothing else. She didn't shut the tank after that, but instead activated it with the door opened and went to look to her instruments.

That left Ragnar, his inquisitive mind now fully aroused, to pull up a chair in front of the tank and look across from Horus.

At the moment, they were silent. Shalua had just begun running her first tests on Horus. The woman herself was looking around with a confused appearance. Aerith watched her, and Ragnar looked to her and to the handicapped woman. Shalua herself only worked for a few moments on her computer before giving a strange look at the results on her display, looked at Horus incredulously, and then turned back to do her work again.

The silence was starting to get to everyone, however, and at last Ragnar turned to Horus, and tried to sound conversational.

"Alright…" He started. "So…miss…you said that you weren't Horus. Does that name mean anything to you?"

The manimal immediately shook her head. "I've never heard that name before in my life."

Ragnar moistened his lips and leaned forward a bit more in his own chair. "…I don't suppose the names of Hoeng, Malcolm, or gene splicing experiments mean anything either, do they?"

Horus looked confused in response, and shook her head. "…I know what an experiment is…but…what is this…Jean Spy Cing?" She hesitated a moment, but then looked around again before turning back to Ragnar. "Which of the Triad do you three work for?"

Aerith and Shalua looked up in confusion as well as Ragnar. They exchanged glances for a moment, before Ragnar looked back to Horus and gave a shrug.

"Um…I…we…we don't work for any Triad…"

Horus seemed surprised at this. "Truly?" She answered. "You must be Cetra then. They're the only ones who aren't aligned…although that injured woman doesn't seem to feel like you two. I would like to get to know you better, but I'm not sure I'll have time. In fact, I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible. I have work to do and I dare not make the Goddess angry."

Ragnar scratched his head a bit, but then leaned in a bit more. He paused a moment, however. Aerith looked at him, and he seemed to be recognizing something. Yet he didn't say what it was.

"…I…didn't happen to catch your name."

"Quetzacoatl. Herald of the Goddess." The person immediately answered.

Here, Ragnar's eyebrows raised slightly. His mouth seemed to loosen. He seemed to recognize something, and leaned back. However, Horus…or Quetzacoatl…only seemed to look more confused at this. Her agitation seemed to rise. Aerith wasn't sure if Shalua picked up on this, but she seemed to suddenly react to her display, and looked out to the manimal.

"Um…Quet…Quet…Quetzacoahtall…" She began to say.

The woman turned to her. "Quetzacoatl." She corrected.

"Um…what exactly is the last thing you remember before Mr. Vice found you?"

Quetzacoatl paused a moment here, seeming to actually be caught off guard by that question. Her face became confused. Her head bowed for a moment, and she thought over it.

"…The Goddess had dispatched me to sound the Demon's destruction." She finally stated. "I ran up a standard of truce, so he allowed me into his domain. I was allowed to come right before his own palace, but there I held rather than go inside. I stretched out my full power and gave him my mistress' message…that I was there to tell him to prepare for death. The Goddess was planning to destroy him and his entire people. The Demon was not impressed, it seemed. He lifted a single hand toward me. For the briefest moment…I thought I was going to die…and then…"

The woman trailed off here. Her face grew confused. She lowered it slightly. Aerith looked to Ragnar. The man showed nothing. He looked like he was still contemplating what he had been told.

"What?" Shalua asked.

"…I want to say that what happened next was that I found myself in that shrine with this Cetra…" Here, she motioned to Ragnar. "Looking over me. I was still thinking that I was in the presence of the Demon, and that he was going to destroy me. So I ran. That's when I lost my power…" She paused here for a moment. "Then again…I…remember something else. It doesn't seem like so much of a dream…as something that I can barely recall." She hesitated, and looked to the sky. "I…I thought I saw my father and mother…Lord Leviathan…even…if you can believe it…Lord Bahamut… I must have been dreaming then. But it seemed like such a long dream…"

Shalua showed nothing in response. However, her look remained inquisitive. She turned back to her keyboard and monitored Quetzacoatl further. As for Aerith, she sat at the sidelines and continued to watch. She didn't know what to make of this…other than the names that she heard reminded her of the names Ragnar used. Bahamut especially. They sounded like esper names…or names of the summons that could come from red materia. If that was the case, then perhaps…

But before Aerith could think any further, Ragnar's head suddenly snapped up and looked to the woman.

"Quetzacoatl. I remember that name now."

Shalua, Aerith, and the "woman of the hour" all looked to him immediately. For a moment, his eyes were wide and staring off into space, showing little. But then, he looked back down and focused entirely on the woman in front of him. To Aerith's surprise, he suddenly looked more enthused. Perhaps even excited.

"Are you Quetzacoatl, daughter of Ramuh and Palidor?"

A bit to Shalua and Aerith's surprise, the possessed woman actually looked taken aback by that comment, and confused. "…Yes…but how…?"

"You are a servant of the Goddess, one of the three members of the Warring Triad, which include the Demon and the Fiend?"

Quetzacoatl looked a bit more confused at this. "…I know nothing of this _Warring_ Triad, but I belong to the ruler of the Northern Realm, the Goddess. She is at war with the Demon and seeks the aid of the Fiend against him."

"And, to you, is the year currently 2230 F.A.?" Ragnar finished.

Quetzacoatl looked the most taken aback by this…but hesitantly answered.

"…2232…but…why? Isn't it?"

Immediately, Ragnar turned to Aerith. His look, she realized, was practically excited.

"I know who she is." He stated. "She's the spirit of an esper."

Aerith's own brow furrowed in response. "An esper? You mean…like what Bahamut was?"

Ragnar immediately nodded. "Yes. I don't know how it happened…why it was her…but it's an esper. It's one of the lesser ones. A thunder based one. But I remember her. I remember reading about her in the accounts of the War of the Magi. Quetzacoatl was captured by a suitor of the Goddess. He gave her to her as a gift, hopefully to win her favor, but also to get her to spare his kingdom. After that, she became the Goddess' personal animal. She used her for hunting, scouting, and sending messages to her enemies."

Quetzacoatl immediately looked stunned. "…How do you know all of…?"

"An esper?" Shalua spoke up, cutting her off, and looking rather confused. "What are those supposed to be?"

Ragnar immediately turned to the researcher. "Powerful beings spawned from the Planet itself. They're made from raw elements. They came before the WEAPONs, but they have their own consciousnesses, minds, and souls. They were the ones who ruled this world for generations before the humans came into the picture."

"Excuse me…" Quetzacoatl began to interrupt.

Shalua looked into the sky for a moment, but then raised an eyebrow. "Come to think of it…I think I remember mom telling us a few fairy tales about big creatures that used to run the Planet. I didn't ever think they were _real_ though…" She hesitated for a second after this, but then looked down and gave a shrug. "Then again…a lot of myth has its basis in fact somewhere. And that certainly seems to be right. This pattern is far more potent than a regular person, and unlike anything I've ever seen. It could be raw from the Planet itself…"

"Hey!"

The sudden shout suddenly cut the dialogue short. Everyone immediately turned around and looked back to Quetzacoatl. She looked rather testy now, and growing more so. She paused a moment, but then let out an exhale and looked more irritable.

"I've been patient for the past few hours…but now I'm at my wit's end. I wake up in a strange place with a strange body, unable to detect any fellow espers or the Goddess, surrounded by bizarre things, colors, alliances, and technology, and weakened almost completely. I've gone along with you until now, and all you've done is confuse me by indicating this isn't the year I think it is, the Goddess isn't here, I need to hide from regular humans, and that I've somehow possessed someone. I'm not stupid or deaf. I know that you all know more than you're telling me. I want to know what it is right now or I'm done here. Tell me what's happened to me and what is going on now."

The three hesitated after hearing this. Quetzacoatl, however, kept a frown and stared onward. She wanted an answer. No more compliance. Aerith stared on herself…and began to slowly get nervous. If what Ragnar said was true, and this truly was an esper…she was in for a rude awakening. She knew enough to know that the generations had not been kind to espers, and that since the Great Cataclysm there hadn't been any espers alive save for Bahamut and a few small exceptions. Now he was gone too. And here they were with this woman who had literally been ripped out from a familiar time period and thrown into this one. And that made Aerith truly nervous. When she herself had come back to life, she was barely able to process what had happened in a mere three years time. Centuries had passed for this woman…

Everyone stayed silent for about a full minute. In the end, however, Ragnar took the lead. His enthusiasm had faded now. He looked a bit more regretful. He looked back to Quetzacoatl and stared her right in the eye.

"…Do you understand Cetra writing?" He asked.

The woman nodded once readily.

Ragnar inhaled deeply once more. "Alright then…come with me. I just need a moment to clear people out of the way. They won't understand who you are…and you'll know why once you read this. You won't like what you see…but maybe seeing it written down will help you believe it's true more easily…"

* * *

**QUETZACOATL**

A relatively unknown esper of thunder element, Quetzacoatl was the daughter of Ramuh and Palidor. She was born in a turbulent time, in an age where espers were growing accustomed to being the slaves of humans. Ramuh and Palidor were already in the service of some of the lesser kingdoms beneath the Goddess, and were soon assimilated into her growing empire. Quetzacoatl herself was born in secret and released as a free esper, but while still immature and young a duke underneath the Goddess captured her and reared her. For his particular fiefdom, Quetzacoatl was by far the greatest of his espers. Many in the kingdom told tales of her glory and beauty, eventually earning her enough admiration to attract the interest of the Goddess. This young duke offered her as a gift to the Goddess eventually, hoping to win her hand in marriage. The Goddess took Quetzacoatl, but denied matrimony. She became one of the Goddess' most well tended espers, living a relatively free life in the Goddess' gardens, and only being used for small recreation and scouting. The Goddess also used her to relate messages, especially ones bearing tidings of war, leading her to be known as the "Herald of the Goddess". Prior to the onset of the great War of the Magi, Quetzacoatl was dispatched to the Goddess' rival, the Demon, and told to surrender or perish in the coming war. The Demon responded by using a blast of his magical power to pierce Quetzacoatl through the heart and throat simultaneously. Once she had died, the Demon crushed her magicite and sent the powder back, wrapped inside a message that simply read, "My reply".

* * *

Ragnar bowed his head as he finished reading the tablet. Most details of Cetra life were recorded in their orbs, but the War of the Magi had been such a large event that it had been enscribed on the halls of some of their buildings. That was where Ragnar had taken Quetzacoatl…to the Hall of War. Aerith had followed behind, while Shalua stayed back to continue to analyze her data and radio ahead, warning all to get out of the way so that none would be taken aback by Horus' appearance. As a result, they were now outdoors, perched in the ruins of the hall, and looking at the Chronicles of the War of the Magi enscribed over its walls. In particular…they were looking at this one side note on the "appendix".

After he was done reading, he only had to wait until Quetzacoatl finished reading it as well.

He knew she was done when he heard her fall to her knees.

The woman bent over on the ground, practically in the fetal position. She stayed up, however, spreading her wings out and balancing herself with them. Her face was aimed at the stone beneath her as the reality of what she saw sank in. This was why no one recognized her. This was why she couldn't sense the Goddess or the Demon or even the Fiend for that matter. The truth was etched in stone that had to be hundreds of years old…hundreds of years after her death.

For five minutes she stayed like that. Aerith, out of concern, bent next to her, but didn't offer anything just yet. She let her adjust on her own, and waited for her to indicate she was ready for support. Ragnar stayed at her side and patiently waited. He didn't say anything either, waiting for her to make the first move. He couldn't tell if she was weeping or was just catatonic. He heard nothing. Just the breeze around him.

In the end…he did hear a snort from below.

"Freedom…" A small voice echoed. "…It didn't matter how lovely that garden was or how wonderful it smelled or how many trees were there. It was as hideous as cold stone compared to the sights of the whole world. It was rotten and foul compared to smelling the sea and the sand and the snow. All the trees were nothing more than iron bars when I once had the entire heavens as my realm…"

She trailed off here, and said no more.

Ragnar caught it here, however. A single tear splashed against the ground.

"…I'm sorry, Quetzacoatl." Ragnar spoke quietly. "I really am. You might not believe it…but I know how you feel in a way. Aerith, me, and our twins are the last Cetra."

Aerith finally attempted to act. She slowly reached out her hand and put in on her shoulder. Quetzacoatl didn't react, and Aerith didn't try to go any farther than that. There they held. The Cetra were patient. Another five minutes went by with nothing else being said and no movements being made.

"…How long?" Quetzacoatl finally stated.

"At least thirteen hundred years." Ragnar answered.

"…What of the Goddess?"

"Gone. The Warring Triad has been dead for centuries."

"…And why can't I sense any other espers?"

Ragnar paused during this. He turned down to Aerith, who looked back to him uncomfortably, but said nothing else. He turned back to Quetzacoatl. "…A lot has happened in the past millennia. There's a lot to take in. I can't being to try and summarize all that…"

Quetzacoatl's head suddenly snapped up and turned around to Ragnar, shrugging Aerith's arm off and looking at him hard with her pale, golden eyes.

"Are they all dead?" She nearly snapped at him, not wanting to be beaten around the bush any longer. She wanted the truth.

Ragnar stared at her a bit more. He swallowed a bit. However, he was plain and strong when he finally said it.

"…Yes."

Quetzacoatl went silent after that. Her eyes stayed focused on his a moment longer, but then looked down and away. She didn't show any other emotion.

"…You don't have to be afraid." Aerith finally managed to say, turning in on the esper and trying to reassure her. "Believe it or not…I myself was dead before and came back to life…and I was able to adjust…"

"But I'm dead now, aren't I?" Quetzacoatl interrupted, keeping her eyes to the ground. "The only reason I'm even here is because I'm possessing this Horus, right?"

Aerith went silent again after that. Ragnar himself swallowed a bit uneasily.

"…This is why we wanted to keep you a secret. Most people aren't familiar with espers, or of people who look like Horus. We don't know how you got into her, or why it happened in the first place. We're struggling to find out. In the meantime, we can find a place for you to stay in Shalua's lab. You can learn how the world's changed from there, until we can make more people accustomed to what's happened…"

Quetzacoatl didn't say anything. She merely rose to her feet, keeping her head bowed and face expressionless. The movement was so sudden that Aerith moved back a bit in response. However, she soon got to her feet as well. Both she and Ragnar looked to the woman, and wondered what she was going to do from here.

"…Quetzacoatl…" Aerith began to say.

"I want you to find out how to remove me from this woman as soon as possible." Quetzacoatl plainly stated. "Then I can return to being dead and try to imagine that this world, not the next, was the true dream."

Ragnar and Aerith turned away and uneasily looked to one another. However…they didn't know what else to say right now. They could only relate in some ways…but the fact was that they never had to deal with anything like this. This was another situation in which Ragnar wished Bahamut was here. He'd literally know about this a lot more than they would… But again, he was on his own.

In the end, all the two Cetra could do was try to lead Quetzacoatl back. She complied this time, although she didn't show whether she was for or against it anymore.

* * *

_"The creature appeared to have been exposed to something inside the shrine. I'm not sure of the details, but from what I overhead the Cetra telling her, it seemed as if she had been possessed in some way."_

"Where is she now?" Shelke blandly answered, not sounding the least bit interested, despite the fact that this was her current job. Her hood was still replaced at the moment, but she was typing away at her computer console, looking for more records of what might have happened regarding her latest assignment. She was wearing a headset now and communication with their contact at the former New Shinra HQ Dome. It was a pity that they weren't able to get any technology from there…but that was alright. DeepGround had enough.

_"She's being taken back to Gateway Research Station. One of the scientists there seems to be versed in Planet energy flows and natures. They're going to study the creature there."_

"What is the scientist's name?" Shelke asked. It wasn't an idle question. She had to know whose files she was going to have to hack in order to find out what they learned.

_"Shalua Rui."_

For the first time in eight years…Shelke stopped typing in the middle of her work.

The girl's eyes stayed blank and expressionless, but she stared out into space for a moment of silence.

In the end, she finally relaxed and began to type again.

"Is that all?"

_"Yes, sir."_

"Continue to monitor the area for any change. I'll start investigating her files right away."

_"Yes sir. Hail Weiss."_

"Hail Weiss."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. Lightning Strikes Twice

Cloud, scratching a bit at his emerging stubble, closed the door behind him a bit loudly. He didn't simply dump his sword by the door anymore. That was too much of a risk. Instead, he kept it strapped behind him as he walked out from the entry way and toward the Seventh Heaven portion of the building. Once he reached the door to the living room, he opened it and walked right in.

Tifa was sitting alone in it in their ancient, torn, stained recliner. She seemed to be thumbing through a book without really reading it. She had the phone nearby. However, on Cloud showing up, she turned and looked over to him. She hesitated a moment, but then gave a bit of a teasing look.

"You missed dinner again."

Cloud frowned a bit in response. "…I had to make sure they wouldn't be coming around again." He answered as he began to walk inside.

"So you found them?"

"Only one. It didn't take much for me to make him tell me who the others were." Cloud answered. "I didn't have to pull my sword, if that's what you're thinking."

"Was it who Azure and Denzel said it was?"

"Probably." Cloud answered, letting out a sigh as he went into the living room. Soon after, he unstrapped his sword, placed it against the side, and sat down. "But I'm not to the point yet where I feel safe with them handling these things."

Tifa gave a shrug from her position. "They're both stronger than almost anyone in their school."

"They'd probably be able to handle them. But I don't want them to. I'm not sure they're careful enough to know when to hold back." Cloud responded. "I settled things with just talking. They might have broken a few noses and gotten people angry for revenge if they had done it."

Tifa shrugged again. "They have to learn some day, Cloud. And sometimes you can only learn through experience…or the 'hard knocks'. Kind of like we did."

Cloud narrowed his eyes a bit at this.

"I'd rather no one had to learn about life the way _I_ did." He answered. "Did Ragnar and Aerith call back yet?"

Tifa gave a nod, realizing that Cloud wanted to change the subject, and leaned back a bit more. Her look became a little less casual and calm. "There's something weird going on up there, Cloud. At first they just found this shrine area buried underneath the Dome. But today something really strange happened. You told me that Hoeng had spliced together people with animals, right?"

Cloud gave a nod. "Right."

"Well…one of them was at the site, and something happened to her." Tifa continued. "I'm not sure I got all of what they said…but I think Ragnar was trying to tell me that she had gotten _possessed._"

Now the ex-mercenary looked up and looked considerably confused. "Possessed?" He echoed. "How did that happen? And you said 'she'? The only she in that group was the half owl woman. What was she doing there?" He hesitated a moment after saying this, but then leaned back a bit more in his seat and looked out to the side. "I thought this was just some new chamber that Ragnar's group had dug up…but now I'm starting to wonder what the hell they uncovered."

Tifa ruefully leaned back herself and exhaled. "Sorry, but he wouldn't say anymore than that. He sounded like he was preoccupied and in a hurry."

"I might be myself if all of that is happening." Cloud answered. "Now I'm actually a bit nervous about it. If it wasn't for what happened this morning, I might try to head up there to find out what's going on."

Tifa looked to him again, and seemed a bit regretful. "I don't think you'd be able to help much anyway, Cloud."

"I know I wouldn't." The man answered. "But it would still give me some peace of mind. I'd get a better idea of what was going on and I wouldn't have to be on stand by if something else developed. Things don't tend to work out that well when I learn about them secondhand." Cloud paused for a few moments after saying this, and continued to stare out as he did so. He appeared to be thinking the matter over a bit longer.

"If things stay calm here for a few more days, I might just do that." He finally concluded. "I never have felt that safe leaving those two out on their own…"

* * *

It was getting close to midnight, and Ragnar was still up and about.

A storm was rolling in. Already, the distant sound of thunder was beginning to approach. Ragnar couldn't hear it that well from his current position, inside Shalua's lab, but if he was closer to the doors it would grow more and more audible. Everyone else had packed in for the night, just about. There wouldn't be any late night excavations now, even if there was something of interest. People had to quickly cover up their dig sites and delicate artifacts and then get themselves inside. They were still way ahead of the time, but as a result not much digging had gotten done today. Ragnar didn't really notice or care…not with what was going on now.

The man had walked in just a few moments ago. The doors to Shalua's lab were sliding, but they were also very silent. As he walked into the inner area, and once again saw the spread of devices that had been lying about hours earlier, he looked out and saw that one figure was still there. Shalua was still typing away at her computer, much as she had been since they had left her earlier that day. She was so absorbed in her work she didn't seem to notice him.

Ragnar made her way over to her next. His footsteps clicked slightly against the ground, but not loud enough to be heard over the keystrokes. Nevertheless, as he got nearer and nearer to her, she eventually hesitated briefly in her work. She turned her head over her shoulder while he was still far away, and noticed him approaching. She turned back soon afterward. Apparently, she had noticed his presence. Some people were keen about that…feeling the air patterns in a room change when someone got nearer. Especially if you knew the layout of the room very well. At any rate, she didn't say anything else as Ragnar approached and came to a stop at her side.

"…Hello." She sounded as she continued to type away. A moment later, she reached a certain point and hit the enter key. After that, she leaned back a bit and let the computer work. She turned up to him. "How's our guest?"

"I managed to get Horus…Quetzacoatl…upstairs." Ragnar answered. "It's convenient and all…but I did think it was a bit weird for a scientist to have a spare bedroom."

Shalua appear to pause for a moment on hearing that.

"…One never knows." She answered, a bit quietly.

Ragnar thought there was something else in that comment…but he said nothing about it.

"She's still completely confused…and now she had depression to worry about. However, she's also still feeling weak. I don't know why. Maybe she can't use Horus' body as effectively as she could have used an esper one."

Shalua leaned back a bit, and gave a shrug after a pause. "I wouldn't know. My forte wasn't on espers. I didn't even really ever have a good idea of what they were supposed to be until today."

"Have you come up with anything?"

Shalua frowned and turned back to her screen. "Very little." She answered. "Then again, most of the questions that I'm asking at this point have to do with what actually went on at the site and the site itself, and all of those I've had to ask you and Aerith secondhand."

"Anything at all?"

"Nothing that has to do with getting the spirit of Quetzacoatl back out of Horus, especially since I've never heard of a person in myth, let alone reality, being possessed by a spirit that didn't know how it got in or how to get out again." She answered with a sigh. "But based on what you told me, I have come up with a few theories about how it got in there. Of course, they're all bogus if my assumptions are wrong. First off…you said that the shrine had a bunch of bowls arranged around it, and that you and Aerith could hear specific voices coming from them, right?"

Ragnar frowned regretfully in response. "Aerith said something to that effect…but not exactly. She said she only heard far fewer and more distinct voices. But I think she said they were still changing too. My own ability isn't strong enough to get into specifics."

"Alright." Shalua answered. "And you said that one of the bowls in the shrine was empty next to her. So you could assume she spilled it on herself? Even drank it?"

Ragnar hesitated, but could only shrug. "I guess so. That was the only thing out of place. Nothing like this has happened to anyone else in that chamber. I know it's bizarre that these bowls have filled with water like this, forming stalactites on top of them. And I don't want to dismiss it as coincidence either. But even so, most of the houses in the City of the Ancients were formed from natural structures. And they're still just homes. So I'm not sure what to think about these bowls."

"Perhaps more than you would assume." Shalua responded, looking back to her screen. "Water might be considered to be one of the Four Elements in the mythos of the Ancient World, but it has a specialness that pertains to this. Water is considered the primary medium through which spiritual energy can flow, unlike the other three elements. It always has a special place in sacred areas throughout history. Even the Cetra named the mako energy flowing through the Planet 'the Lifestream'. Not the 'Life-flame' or 'Life-breeze'. As far as facts are concerned, mako seems to most readily matrix with water. Natural materia is due mostly to water, pressure, and time. So perhaps the fact that these things have been distilling water into them for so many generations is relevant."

Shalua typed a bit on her computer at this. Ragnar looked, and saw that a subscreen popped up. It showed some sort of readout of a humanoid form, similar to a full body scan at the hospital…but based on the shape Ragnar immediately knew it was Horus.

"Another thing about water is how essential it is to life, and how easily and readily it is absorbed." Shalua continued. "I can't begin to do a radiolabeling study at this late in Horus' 'game', but if she drank it then that would have been a very easy way to get it into her system and quickly. I'm detecting heavy amounts of energy readings within her bloodstream. It appears to be the source of the overall pattern I'm detecting from her. If she would have drank the water and had it readily transported into her blood, then it would have easily moved throughout her entire body within a matter of minutes. Perhaps seconds. I see an empty bowl, one that Aerith admits had some sort of voice coming from it, and now we have a strange energy pattern moving through her bloodstream. My idea is that she somehow got ahold of the water herself, and that somehow it did this."

Ragnar still looked confused. "But how would that be possible? Even with the history of water and how people believed in it, how would it have gotten into that spot? And why would it have? Quetzacoatl doesn't appear to know anything of how she got in there, let alone into Horus. And why her? Why would the spirit that would inhabit that shrine be her? And who are the other spirits? What do they have to do with this?"

Shalua frowned and shook her head. "I don't know, and I'm running out of questions that I can ask that I can hope to answer here. I need to get to the site itself. And we'll probably have to bring in a lot more specialists than just me. Whatever the answer to this problem is, it's likely an 'overreaching' discipline. Every single aspect of the construction, history, and energy patterns of that place will have to be researched and categorized to be able to know exactly how any of this is possible…assuming any of it is true. And they may all have to see it themselves or at least send in people who can sample it for us."

Ragnar let out a bit of a sigh at this. That was a lot of work, a lot of involvement…and no guarantee any of it would turn up anything.

"At the bare minimum, I want to get there and start taking readings as soon as possible." Shalua continued. "And I need to start working closer with you and Aerith. I'll probably have a lot of questions about what I'm looking at, and how your senses coincide with my readings."

"What about Horus?" Ragnar asked. "How can we get Quetzacoatl back out of her again?

The woman sighed and slumped a bit in her chair. "I don't know. I don't even have any theory yet…other than draining all of the water out of her body, which is hardly practical or safe. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with something if I see that place myself."

Ragnar crossed his own arms.

"In the case…I hope we can still get out there tomorrow. That storm outside is looking worse all the time…"

* * *

_You better just get used to it. You don't know how long you're going to be here._

Was it wrong for one to wish themselves dead in this situation? On the other hand…would it actually be "right" to do so? She was stealing another person's body to cheat death as it was…and she didn't even know how it had happened. There was little doubt in Quetzacoatl's mind now that the vague "dreams" she had were memories for her experience after death. But she could hardly believe that she would have willingly come into this state. Why would she have wanted to return to a world where she was the only one left? Hundreds of years in the future where everything was strange and alien, and humans would hunt her down as soon as talk to her?

The esper didn't know what to think as she walked on her too-long, too-awkward legs into the room. She hated this body. Everything about it seemed clumsy. A moment later, she snapped and gave a yelp before turning behind her, watching as a wall of iron slid over the doorway. For a brief moment, she thought that she was trapped…before she remembered that doors weren't the same in this era. What a concept. Even doors had changed to become foreign objects to Quetzacoatl. It made her hate being here even more.

She turned and looked around her room. She hated it immediately. Everything above and below was made out of cold iron. No windows. Breezes were coming in through slits in the walls. Nothing wooden to be seen anywhere. The bed itself looked to be only the barest essentials. The sheets were tightly knit and looked all together thin and harsh against the skin. What was worst was that Quetzacoatl usually didn't sleep in beds. She made roosts for herself. Yet she felt far too awkward and drained to fly again, and so she was trapped here.

Some things did catch her eye, however… As she looked away from the rather uncomfortable-looking bed, she saw a dresser of some sort against the wall. There were things that looked more traditional and decorative on top of it. A bit curious, and having nothing better to do, she walked over to it.

On reaching it, she noticed a few things. There was an older lamp made out of some sort of material Quetzacoatl didn't recognize. However, it had a softer tone to it, and as a result she felt a bit more at ease concerning it. Other than that, she noticed a few other things on the dresser. They were old and dust covered, but they had been placed with care. One was an old medal in a language the esper didn't realize. Another thing looked like an old, battered book with a dragon and a princess on front of it. Seeing as the dragon bore a saddle, Quetzacoatl wondered if it was a fairy tale version of Princess Lenna… There was also a hair brush that was brightly colored, a length of ribbon, and a few other odds and ends. All of them were old and seemed to be made for a younger person.

There was one final thing on that dresser, and it mostly attracted Quetzacoatl because it was the only thing made out of wood. It was a small box, like a jewelry box or a music box. She didn't know which, and so she reached over and opened the lid with the tip of her feathers. She pushed it a bit as a result of clumsiness, but she got it open.

It was a music box. Immediately, a slow tune began to play. Quetzacoatl couldn't place it, but she didn't really notice it either. Her attention had already shifted again.

This time, she was looking to the picture in the box. It showed a woman she didn't know, and two younger girls. She guessed their ages about about 15 and 10. She did notice that all of them seemed to have long, brown, messy hair, which naturally formed a sort of messy look on each of them. Due to this, it didn't take much to deduce that it was a mother and two daughters. It was an outdoors picture in a setting with trees and grass. Quetzacoatl liked it. She hadn't seen many nice areas like this since she had come back, and she was glad to see they were still around. She focused on the girls after noticing this, however. In particular, she looked to the older one. She wore glasses…and her face looked somewhat familiar.

_…Shalua._ She finally realized.

The esper hesitated a moment…but then began to realize it. Why these things were set out. Why they looked older and had some dust on them. They were mementos. She had set up this room in her sister's memory…but based on how much older she was in the picture and the fact that these things were so much older, it likely meant that her sister was…

Quetzacoatl swallowed a bit. She hoped she hadn't upset anything too much. Quickly, she shut the box again. Only then did she realize she had already moved it, leaving dust streaks on the dresser. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do about it now. Deciding that she had seen enough, she decided to just turn out the lights and go to bed.

The esper turned to the lamp, and immediately reached out with her wings to remove the shade and blow out the candle. However, on grabbing it and pulling up…she saw the whole lamp came with it. Surprised, she immediately lowered it again. She didn't want to spill the candle or wax and ruin these mementos. Moving slower this time, she pulled up once more. Once again, the lamp began to rise with it. Her face turned to puzzlement at this as she set it down again.

This was an odd shade. She concluded it had to be screwed in somehow. With that in mind, she began to twist on it as she pulled up. At first, she didn't seem to be getting anywhere. So she put a bit more force into it. Again, nothing seemed to happen. Growing frustrated, especially since this was hard with her awkward limbs, Quetzacoatl began to bend the shade back as she twisted.

It held a bit longer…but then Quetzacoatl bent it a certain distance. Suddenly…it popped off all together. She nearly spilled forward from the sudden move and knocked the lamp over again. However, she quickly managed to right herself and catch the shade. She hesitated a moment, surprised at what had happened. She pulled the shade back, and examined it a moment to see how it had attached. To her surprise, there seemed to be some sort of iron wire array inside it. This only puzzled her more and made her frustrated. Was anything in this era _not_ made of iron? She quickly put it to one side and moved to blow out the lamp…

When she realized she couldn't. To her surprise, some sort of bulb shape made out of glass was covering up the light. This only made Quetzacoatl more frustrated and confused. Why do that when you have a shade? However, she soon realized why the metal array was there. It could grasp the glass bulb. It still seemed to be too much to her. She didn't try to worry about it. Instead, she reached over and tried to pull the bulb up. Once again…the whole lamp came with it. She also soon yelped and nearly dropped it when she realized how hot the glass was.

The esper quickly put it down and sighed again. Why did humans make these things so complicated? Having no other alternative, the esper reached out and grabbed the sides. She tried to turn it as she had before. It was hot and she had to be tender with her clumsy hands, but this time it did turn and begin to come out. However, long before she managed to fully unscrew it…she saw the light go out. This puzzled her even more. Was the air cut off or something? If so, how did one manage to light these things and put the bulb on? She decided to check it out a bit further before going down to bed. She would have to know how to light it in the morning, after all.

Moments later, and she had fully unscrewed the bulb and removed it. She looked inside the space it left, and expected to see a candle or wick of some sort. Instead…she saw nothing. Nothing but an empty hole. Again, Quetzacoatl was left confused. She turned and looked to the bulb, and to her surprise saw that it had no opening on the bottom. Something iron was poking down, but other than that there was nothing. No signs that it could have enclosed a light. But that was impossible. There had been a light on inside it. How could it have been lit?

The esper turned back to the open space and frowned. There had to be some wick in there. Immediately, she reached out and dipped the tip of her wing inside.

A second later…and something strange happened.

A sharp jolt suddenly shot through Quetzacoatl's feather tips, immediately shooting up the rest of her wing. Giving out a yelp of surprise, she immediately yanked her arm back. She quickly looked to where she had placed her wing in to see what had happened to it, expecting a bite or cut of some sort.

Nothing was there, however. At least…not in terms of pain or damage. Instead, the tips of her wings had turned a little strange. They seemed to be a bit brighter than before…less drab and more shimmering…

At that moment, however, Quetzacoatl began to think back a few moments. She realized something. Actually, she hadn't felt pain at all from putting her wing in there. She had only felt a surprise sensation. That was what made her recoil. Curious, she looked back to the open hole. For a moment, she held back and thought. But then she decided to try it again. Reaching forward, she once more dipped her wing inside.

Almost immediately…she felt it. It was strange. It was some sort of vibration feeling…and it did quickly shoot up her wing and into her shoulder. She only held for a second, however, before pulling it out again. She wasn't sure how good this was supposed to be for you.

Yet as soon as she pulled it back…she began to realize something. Not only was it not painful, as she had continued to hold, it had started to feel _good._ It almost felt like a little relaxing massage going through her arm and, toward the end, starting to move into her chest. It made her limb feel more relaxed. Less clumsy and sluggish. It was a pleasant feeling… Realizing this, she raised her wing and looked at it again.

To her surprise, her whole wing was brighter now. Not only that. The feathers seemed smoother…sharper…even longer. And it didn't feel as awkward to her anymore. She almost felt a bit of her old power returning into it…like it was becoming more familiar to her senses. She looked further, and saw that the healthier color had spread all the way to part of her chest before stopping. She knew why. That was when she had cut it off.

Quetzacoatl didn't understand what was in this lamp that had done it…but she realized that she was feeling better. More at ease. More comfortable with herself. And because of that, she reasoned that it was a good thing. For a moment, she almost turned and left the room. She would find the Cetra and that Shalua person. She'd ask them what was in the lamp…and then see if it would be alright to get more.

She had begun to lift one awkward leg…when she froze.

…Surely it would be fine. They had been hospitable to her so far. They wanted her to be comfortable, right? Of course…she didn't understand anything about this generation. She didn't know what this substance was or why it was doing this to her. But still…a bit longer wouldn't hurt. She was already feeling better. What if she held on long enough for it to travel all the way to her head? She was sure she'd feel better then by quite a bit. Far more at ease. Maybe she'd even remember more of what led up to her coming back to life… If so, it would benefit everyone…

With that conclusion reached, she turned fully back to the lamp. She let out a faint smile as she reached out with her feather tips and dove them back in.

It felt even better this time. The sensation was definitely pleasurable and relaxing to where it had already hit. Yet as it was allowed to move fully into her chest this time and spread from there…it felt even better. She almost felt like her old strength was beginning to build in her. She felt as if everything was relaxing. As it began to spread out into her limbs, it felt as if her body had been cold and dead until now, but was slowly being worked back to life. She began to feel it creep up her neck and approach her head. She felt the first tickles begin to work their way into her lower brain, exciting her and making her own pent up stress and concern slowly loosen…

Yet then…it stopped.

Quetzacoatl's eyes snapped open. It didn't matter to her that she didn't remember closing them so that she could fully drink in the power she felt. Yet something else she sensed did alert her. The smell of burning. She looked down to the source.

To her surprise, the lamp was smoldering. In particular, it was doing so from some long cord that was attached to it. Parts of that cord and the strange material it was made out of appeared to be melting and blackening. Smoke was coming from it, and some sort of buzzing sound was flaring up around it. It didn't look good.

Quetzacoatl stared at this a moment…and began to reason that whatever fueled the lamp might actually be coming through that cord. If so…then perhaps she had just broken it. And it appeared to be a memento like the rest of the items on the dresser. The thought made her anxious. She had just broken something. She needed to tell them…

But…it could wait.

First she quickly wanted to see if any of the other lamps in this room did the same thing.

The lamp on the dresser had been producing a lot of light. However, there were also some sort of lights fixed into the ceiling. They seemed to be coming from long, glowing rods covered up by glass. They didn't look like any lamps that Quetzacoatl had ever seen…but she decided to take a chance on them. She leapt on top of the bed to get a better position and then reached overhead with her wings. They seemed to move more easily now in her grasp, but she still moved in a rush as she felt around on the glass. A moment later, she knocked it loose and sent it to the bed. She didn't care that it fell off and hit the floor, fracturing on the way. She immediately looked up for more bulbs. Instead, she saw long glowing tubes of some sort. Figuring they did the same thing, she reached up and immediately twisted them. She did so a bit hard… They ended up snapping on the ends and breaking. But she didn't care. They were out. She nearly threw the bulb to the ground, but in the end tossed it on the bed with her. She reached up her fingertips to the place that they were in and felt inside. For a moment…she got nothing, and that actually made her feel a little angry…but then she touched it.

It felt even better this time. It came in faster and more powerfully, and soon her eyes were closing again as she was drinking in the feeling. She didn't even hear the sizzling buzz that soon began to go out in the light fixture, or the fact that the other lights in the room soon began to flicker and buzz as well. She just impatiently waited for it to hit her mind. It did this time, after what seemed like forever. But once it did…she felt things loosening up more than ever…

She was quite unaware of the fact that the ends of her wings began to grow longer…or that more feathers were starting to erupt from her skin…or even that her shine was becoming stronger. She only cared about getting more…and started to care about other things less and less…

However…it only lasted for a while before a rather loud sizzle snapped out…and once again it cut off. Quetzacoatl opened her eyes, still feeling rather excited by what had happened…and saw the room go dark. Whatever was causing the light had burned out in the room. There was a smell of burning around where the bulbs had been. Yet this time…she didn't care about what the others would think. She just thought of finding another source of this.

Immediately, she looked down, leapt off the bed, and began to search the room. It was dark at this point…but she was starting to get some of her old sensations back. A small glow seemed to be coming off of her now…dim, but enough for her improved vision to search with. But there were no more lights. She had broken them all. The only lights that were in the chamber now were outside. However…even that gave her little comfort. These lights weren't helping. They were too little. She needed a larger source…

Then…she remembered. The cord in the wall. Perhaps it wasn't the lamps themselves…but whatever was feeding them. Maybe they got it through those strange holes in the wall. It made sense. She had seen many of those things since she had gotten here, and some of them had lights or other machines that moved on their own in them…

She moved to try it out immediately. Quickly, she ran over to the wall and made for the set of holes that had the burned, melted cord in them. Almost ravenously, she reached out and tore the plug out with a bend in her wing. Then she quickly dipped her own wingtip inside…

* * *

Aerith looked outside of the Inn's window and back to the City of the Ancients. It was visible from her position, being on a higher elevation and able to look back over the forest to just see the tops of it. The rest of Gateway spread out to the sides, and she could just look down one street of it. She didn't focus on that though, but back on the city. She couldn't deny that she had different feelings here. Like Ragnar, she too had an innate sense of peace being close to the city. She had a desire to walk through it, but she didn't encourage that at the moment. After all, her twins were behind her and sleeping. And she wasn't about to leave them alone to go meditate or sightsee. And because of that, she turned her attention away…and back toward the laboratory.

Aerith had already told the children that she was going to try to look for tickets back to Midgar tomorrow. They wouldn't be able to leave until the next day, but she was ready to head back. She had a feeling that Tifa was more than ready to have her take control again back home. And there wasn't much more she could do out here. She could try to assist Shalua a bit when she went to the site, but other than that she didn't think she could provide much help. At any rate, the children had been a bit disappointed. It wasn't just in leaving their father again. Ragnar, who Aerith had to admit was a bit too enthusiastic about espers for her, had brought them both up telling them all sorts of stories about espers and Bahamut and the Ancient World. Hence, when they saw Horus and heard she was a real esper, they were a bit excited to see her a little longer. It was a bit strange to Aerith. She had seemed monstrous to her when she and Cloud's children had first ran into her, but her own twins thought she looked the way she did because she was a mythological beast…

The Cetra leaned back a bit more in her chair. She supposed she should have been glad to meet Horus again. The two hadn't exactly parted on friendly footing. Aerith herself was still a bit unnerved by her whenever she remembered the threat she had given her back in the Seventh Heaven…but she wanted to get past that. It was over and done with now. She wasn't a threat to her anymore. And now, the poor woman probably needed all the human contact she could get…the kind that didn't involve people trying to shoot her or call her a monster. Aerith knew all too well what it was like to be hunted for being different. But at least she could pass for a regular human. Horus couldn't even show herself in-

Aerith's train of thought was suddenly cut off. Something caught her vision outside. She stopped daydreaming and turned fully to it.

The storm had been getting worse overhead. It hadn't broken out yet, but by now there were distinct bolts of lightning and thunder getting louder. Aerith had wondered if she'd have to try and get in bed with the twins. They were still scared when it came to storms if they were really bad, and she had a feeling being in a strange bed in a strange place wouldn't help. It caused a number of flashes around over the city and the surrounding area. Yet a new type of flash was attracting her.

It was coming from Shalua's laboratory. The small, two story building wasn't far from where she and the children were located. Just down the street a little, and still in full view of Inn. Yet something was different now. The lights that were around it were flickering. They were fading in and out, some of them staying dark a lot longer than others before coming on again. At first, it was just that building. But then it started to spread out into the street. The street lamps were beginning to flicker as well, and Aerith just barely began to make out a buzzing over the distance and through the glass window.

Seeing this…Aerith immediately grew anxious. One might say she could dismiss this due to the storm, but that made no sense. The rest of the street was fine. And she had seen that Shalua had a backup generator just in case a storm knocked out power to her computers. So whatever was causing this couldn't be external…but something happening on the inside…

The Cetra tensed up a bit more. If it was just her, she might have immediately left to see what was going on. Yet she had the children with her, and she didn't trust them to be safe simply behind a locked door. If she was going to go out there…she'd have to have them with her.

With that in mind, she decided to hold back a bit longer. She didn't want to have to take them in somewhere dangerous if she could avoid it. She supposed she could try and throw up a spell of protection around them, but her instincts as a mother didn't let her feel safe with that, and she didn't want to try it yet. However…she did want them awake in case they _did_ have to move…

The Cetra turned back to the bed and pushed up and out of her chair. Soon she was back at the side of it. She reached out a hand soon after and put it on the shoulder of Simoa. She began to give her a light shake.

"Simoa… Samoa… Wake up…" She called in a soft voice.

* * *

"Now _this_ is a bit interesting…"

Ragnar turned his head back to Shalua at this. "What is?"

The woman was glued to her screen again, but was still paying attention to Ragnar as she pointed at it. "This right here. I was running over the various diagnostics in the chamber around Horus while she was in it. I didn't come up with much…except this. The ionic content in the air being run through the chamber seemed to diminish closer to neutral. It was a small change. Something you wouldn't normally notice. But it was significant."

Shalua typed a bit more after pointing this out. Ragnar himself turned his full body back to her. A few moments went by, before she pulled some set of numbers up on the screen again. She looked at them and marveled a bit.

"Hmm…now this is interesting too…"

"What?" Ragnar asked, starting to feel like an inexperienced kid listening to an adult conversation.

"The energy within Horus' blood stream seemed to have ebbed inversely with the dropping content of ionic charge in the air around her." She answered.

Ragnar looked puzzled none the less. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that whatever was let loose in Horus, either consciously or unconsciously, seemed to be absorbing electrical charge from the air." Shalua responded. "I don't think I've seen anything like this before. Maybe we ought to wake her up real quick. This may seem a bit cruel, but I want to know what happens if I give her a little shock…"

Shalua, however, was cut off before she could elaborate. Suddenly, the lights in the lab flickered. The screen in front of her jumped once, indicating a ripple through it…before, below the two people, something suddenly kicked on and began to hum. The screen immediately stabilized. The rest of the room, however, continued to flicker and shift.

Both Ragnar and Shalua looked up and around at this. A moment passed as it kept doing this, before Shalua frowned. "Hmph…stupid storm. Although I've never seen it screw with the power like _this_ before…" She hesitated a moment, and then began to look puzzled. She sniffed the air afterward. "…Do I smell burning?" She asked.

Ragnar, however, didn't answer. His full senses were focused overhead.

Quetzacoatl's power had grown. It was already twice as potent as it had been before. It was approaching a tripling. Seeing this, Ragnar realized that something was up. Something was changing within the esper and the body that she was possessing.

Shalua seemed to pick up on that.

"Ragnar? Are you sensing something?"

The man turned back to the scientist. Urgency was in his eyes, as well as growing anxiety.

"We need to check on Quetzacoatl right now."

The scientist paused a moment after hearing that…but seemed to get the sense of what his voice was saying. Immediately, her own look grew serious. She turned away from him and to the side of her lab bench. She reached for one of the nearby cabinets and opened it. Apparently, she was getting something out that she thought would help in the situation. However, Ragnar didn't wait. He immediately turned and ran for the door himself. While Shalua was still clamboring behind him, he reached it. The power systems were flickering wildly now, but after a moment the door did get enough juice to open and let him out.

Outside of Shalua's lab, there was a hallway that led to the front door, other chambers of the building, and to the foot of a spiral staircase at the far end. The stairs was what Ragnar went for. He could smell an acrid scent as he ran. Something was definitely burning. What more, as he neared the staircase, he became conscious of a glowing from upstairs. Yet just as he reached the stairs…the flickering ceased all together. The power seemed to totally go out, and he was plunged into blackness, save for the glowing that he saw overhead. Yet that only lasted a moment before the backup generator covered that as well. Dim emergency lights went on, and Ragnar was able to see his way again. Immediately, he ran up the stairs, headed closer to the glowing as he did so. Soon he was at the top, and turned to see what had happened.

He halted when he did and stared blankly.

Horus' body had changed. Most of the feathers on it now were shimmering brightly, looking almost like they were charged with electricity. The feathers themselves were also becoming smoother and more uniform. The neck appeared to actually be longer, and the beak that had been sharp and hooked seemed to have been smoothed and vastly reduced. The eyes had shrunk considerably. Her legs, which had been human bent before, were now backward and completely feathered. More feathers appeared to be growing from the sides of her hips, starting to splay out around her.

Ragnar didn't know what to say. He was immobilized for a moment. Quetzacoatl, however, was clearly starting to look a lot more like…herself. She seemed less and less human and more and more esper. As he continued to hold, abruptly the figure picked up one of her taloned claws, which seemed to be reducing in size, and stepped back. She revealed that she had torn a hole in the floor viciously, and had grabbed what looked like electrical wires. They were melted now, and smoldering. But that wasn't all. Ragnar looked around the hallway…and noticed that each of the electrical outlets were blackened and smoking. He realized what was happening. The esper was messing with them, electrocuting herself…

That was crazy. Why in the world was she doing that? And furthermore, if she was doing that to herself, then why did she look so good? She actually looked healthier…stronger…

But then, more of Ragnar's memory began to click. One of the most basic principles of spell use was that you didn't cast a spell on something that was of the same element. That healed it. Even before magic had reappeared, people had known that from materia. And Quetzacoatl was of the thunder element…

_She's absorbing the electricity. That's what Shalua saw._

The Cetra wasn't sure what to do. He supposed he had better try to speak to her… But just as he was opening his mouth to say something, the esper looked up.

"More…" She spoke lowly, sounding almost ravenous. "This isn't enough… I need more…"

Ragnar froze again. He didn't like the way she had said that. It was thick and almost wild sounding… He swallowed and continued to hold for a moment. It seemed as if Quetzacoatl hadn't even noticed him. She was staring at the ground, looking almost frozen. He tried to think of something to do… Yet as he held back and thought…a tremor suddenly went through the room. When that happened, Quetzacoatl's head immediately snapped up to the ceiling.

Ragnar actually stepped back in surprise, expecting an attack. However, one didn't come. The tremor died down…and Ragnar realized what it was. It was what Quetzacoatl heard. It was the thunderstorm outside. The latest crack of thunder had been loud enough to send some sound into the building itself.

For a moment, the woman looked up to the ceiling.

Yet then…Ragnar saw a grin spread across her face of absolute delight.

"That's _IT!"_

Before he could react or think about asking what that statement meant…Quetzacoatl snapped up and spread her wings out widely. Immediately, the blaze around her appeared to glow even more fiercely than before…becoming almost blinding. A buzzing sound began to become audible, as Ragnar saw what looked like small bolts of electricity beginning to come out from her feathers and crackle around her.

Abruptly…a bolt of light erupted from Quetzacoatl's body. The thunder that accompanied it was deafening, making Ragnar back up and shield himself. The energy itself, however, shot for the ceiling and impacted it. Immediately, an eruption of sparks and debris came forth as the bolt was focused into force. It pierced it with all its might, and in doing so…a cold wind was allowed to be leaked inside the hallway. Ragnar, still covering his eyes and head, felt its coolness begin to flow in. He realized that she had punched a hole to the outside. Now the sounds of rumbling and thunder were far more audible.

Yet Quetzacoatl, still blazing, didn't hold there. Immediately, she gave a cry out as she flapped her large wings down once. Being propelled with both the power of her muscles as well as new magical power within her, she shot to the sky and smashed into the opening she had made, widening it further as she ripped out into the night.

* * *

Aerith let out a gasp.

Immediately, her children picked up on it. Both were up now, although Simoa was the only one standing and Samoa was still sitting in bed, wiping away at his eyes. The girl noticed Aerith's behavior, and immediately turned concerned as she stepped closer.

"What's wrong, mommy?" She asked. However, even as she said this, her eyes caught a glimpse of what she saw. Immediately, she turned her own gaze out through the window and let her eyes widen. "Oh…wow!"

Aerith felt rather awestruck herself, but she had experienced too much in the past to assume that it was safe just to marvel at this.

Horus…or what she assumed was Horus…had transformed into a bird-shaped blaze of light. It gleamed like it was electric. She almost thought she could see beams of energy encircling her. Not only that, but she had taken off and punched through the ceiling of the laboratory, not long after the power had gone completely dead over there. Now, she was sailing to the heavens, seeming to almost streak light behind her as she did so.

Samoa wiped his eyes a bit more, but then looked up. He soon saw out the window as well, and his eyes widened further. "Whoa! Is that the esper?"

Aerith didn't answer, but she did turn back to the kids. She was growing worried now. She didn't know what had happened or what Quetzacoatl was doing, but she was sailing straight up into a thunderstorm. She was practically asking to be struck by lightning. And the old esper Quetzacoatl may have enjoyed a little thunder, but she was in Horus' body now. She was afraid that the woman wouldn't be able to take it. What more, she had to have turned violent. She had burst out of the lab, after all. That meant that she had to do something herself. Yet it was impossible for her to take the kids with her now… She'd never get over there before something happened, especially as violent as it was getting outside. It could downpour at any moment. But she couldn't just wait here.

At last…she had to choose.

…She only hoped that it wouldn't take too long.

Suddenly, Aerith began to rise out of her chair. She continued to look to the kids, but she also began to move her hand behind her for the window lock.

"Simoa…Samoa…mommy has to go out for just a little bit. Just stay here and wait until I come back…"

* * *

_Yes…this is what I need!_

Quetzacoatl was practically in a state of ecstasy. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She felt as if everything about her was loosening up. She was feeling more and more like herself. She understood what was in those holes and lamps now. Somehow, humanity had harnessed the power of lightning. She didn't know how, but it was welcome. Lightning was her element. Being shocked by it refueled her power. And now, her former state of being drained and clumsy had disappeared. She felt healthy and alive now. The body worked much better now. Her old magical powers were even starting to come back. But despite all of this…the lightning on the ground wasn't enough. It was _nearly_ enough…but not quite. She still had to have one more push. And she couldn't get it down there. The machines would break before it gave her enough.

Yet she had found a way around that, it seemed.

With nervous delight, waiting for that wonderful sensation once again, Quetzacoatl flapped in midair, hundreds of feet in the sky. She was definitely the highest point here, and she could sense that the clouds around her were turbulent and charged. They were ready to fire at any moment. And when they did…they would fill her with a bolt of lightning. Then she would feel complete…feel perfect… Just one more blast of power, and all would be done…

But…what exactly was the thing that would be done?

She didn't know…and she didn't care anymore. She barely even cared about the people who had tried to help her. All she cared about was this…

The esper turned her head further to the sky, looking up into the swirling black vortex above. She could feel cold drops beginning to fall down on her. The rain was breaking now. She closed her eyes and let it come. She couldn't wait. She used her power to levitate herself slightly, so that she could spread her wings farther…let it all come in one powerful blast…

She didn't notice or care about the people running out of the lab far below, shouting up to her. She didn't even notice as, farther back in the city…a new light, far more pure and bright than that of electricity, began to build…

At last…it happened.

The skies broke, a tremendous boom flooded over her feathered body, flaring her wings and feathers out more…and a bolt of electricity shot through the sky and struck her directly.

Immediately…Quetzacoatl's body was bathed in electric light. Bolts of the energy exploded from her again, this time thicker and in greater number. The light grew and grew, becoming blinding. It shone out as a terrific beacon over the world below, almost like a second sun for a moment as the heavens were filled with its glory. Through it all…before fading into the light…Quetzacoatl's head snapped back and gave out a glorious cry…not of pain but of joy and release…the same sound that a baby makes as it breaks from the realm of the internal to the living world around it…a birth.

Then…the light faded. It didn't go out. It just faded. At the same time…the sky seemed to lose its turbulence. It was as if the energy that the storm had possessed had been drained by the figure in the black heavens. When that happened, it didn't hold anymore. Rain began to pour down. It came as one, in a large, all encompassing, sheet of rainwater. It fell down from the sky and toward the figure still in the air.

As soon as the cold water touched it…something happened. One shape, still blazing with electricity, although much dimmer now, took off to the side, and then swept up into the heavens. But there was a darker shape with it too. This one was lifeless…and immediately began to sink to the ground. Soon, it was leading on the sheet of rain as it began to fall back to earth below. The glowing shape was as unmindful of it as a soul that had been freed from a painful life and a dead body.

However…the dark object was not abandoned.

Moments later, another being, glowing with a light even more potent than that of the electric shape, came forth on four angelic wings, each one glowing with holy radiance. The one who was bourn on them, almost angelic herself, immediately extended her arms and caught the form that was falling. That done…she spiraled around and began to descend to the earth herself.

* * *

As the first drops of cold rain struck Ragnar, he let out a slow sigh of relief.

_Good job, Aerith._

Shalua herself was blinking her one remaining eye, and wiped away some fog from her glasses to try and process what she had just seen. She didn't seem to know whether to stare at Aerith or at the glowing shape that was now soaring through the sky, seeming to flip on itself and spin and enjoy the rain and storm. She kept rather silent as a result. It took Ragnar a moment, but in the end he realized what the scientist had seen. That made him swallow a little. There were precious few people alive who knew about Aerith's "alternate nature"… He wasn't sure how people would react if that was the case.

Aerith was soon headed right for them. As she did, her wings began to break into feathers, turning into a trail of shimmering bits of light. The feathers themselves fluttered off and dispersed, and seemed to break into more pieces as they did so, gradually turning into nothing. By the time she had reached them, they were almost gone. Ragnar was a bit unhappy about that. That meant that when she landed, both she and the figure she carried were plunged into darkness. The power was now quite out in Shalua's as well as the surrounding area. And so, they were going to have to bumble around in the shadows for a while.

Soon, the three were left standing there as the rain continued to fall. For a moment, none of them said anything. They just continued to get wet.

"Um…" Shalua finally began to speak up. "Are you…Aerith?"

Ragnar couldn't see that well, but he did notice Aerith turn her head slightly to the side and bow it. She was clearly nervous now. The male Cetra swallowed a bit at this. An air of anxiety went over the two of them. He turned his head to Shalua shortly thereafter.

"…I was hoping that you wouldn't have to see this on this trip. Shalua…I'd appreciate it if you would try to forget what you just saw. I'll explain it to you later, but-"

To Ragnar's surprise, the scientist seemed to suddenly snap out of something, and turn to Ragnar. When she did, she cut him off.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Ragnar. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She immediately apologized. "You don't have to worry. My lips are sealed. I've versed myself in enough history of Shinra Inc. and it's sciences to realize what happens to people when they end up being different. And some people have looked a lot more fearsome than this before, and simply been a result of some mad scientist's attempts at transformation. And I'm not shallow enough to think you're a monster because of this. I was just caught off guard by it, that's all."

Ragnar was a bit puzzled at this apology. She hadn't expected her to sound so understanding. However, that wasn't to say he wasn't glad for it. One less headache to try and explain. There were plenty of people in the world already who were scared of anything magical, let alone the Sorceress. To that end, he held his ground and calmed down a little. Shalua then turned to Aerith.

"I'm sorry. Really…it just surprised me. I didn't know that female Cetra had wings…"

Ragnar and Aerith alike both shifted a bit at that.

"Actually, it's not because I'm a Cetra…" Aerith began to respond.

Yet before she could get any more out, all three people were blinded. Immediately, they winced and began to cover their vision as best as they could. Aerith was holding onto something and could only look away, but Ragnar and Shalua raised up their arms and covered their eyes. As they did this, Ragnar began to hear a crackling and snapping sound in the air. It was close…sounding almost like electric bolts firing. He had to shrink back a second or so longer, but then his eyes began to adjust. When they did, he was able to slowly open them again. He slowly removed his hand, and turned to look to the source.

To his surprise, and the surprise of Shalua and Aerith…they had a fourth member in their company now.

Her change was complete. Her feathers were so fluid and smooth now that she looked to almost be a single flawless entity. Only a few faint black streaks, like lightning of some sort, across her body offered any stand out difference. Her head was no longer an owl's in the least. The beak was gone. Now, it was just a pure, streamlined organ. Brighter, more golden feathers hung underneath her chin on her neck, and two black streaks along the top of her head provided the only sign that there were eyes there at all. The actual organs were almost invisible.

The wings were no longer broad like an owl's, but now long like an albatross' or other high speed soaring bird. The legs seemed to have disappeared all together, giving rise to a smooth, long body that ended in a wide bird's tail. What almost seemed like a skirt or dress of feathers splayed out around from her hips, hanging all the way down to the end of her tail. The black coloration trimmed it all around, providing a simple yet effective design.

The giant bird was at least ten feet long from head to tail. It flapped and hovered in the sky, seeming through both magical means as well as physical. It was pulsing with electrical power. Ragnar could feel it pouring off from it. Not only that…but both he and Aerith could sense the difference. What before had been a spirit was now expressed throughout the entire body. The form had ceased to be a simple indwelling. It had come back in its own.

The bird opened its mouth. The voice that came out was far lighter than Horus', yet echoing with an inner power and majesty.

"I am…Quetzacoatl."

Ragnar was left staring in stunned silence. He slowly began to realize what he was seeing. An esper. A real live esper. The only one left…right before him in her full glory and power. It didn't matter to him that she had been a minor esper in life…he only was amazed to see that one was here…come back from the dead. For a moment, he could only marvel at it, thinking of nothing else.

But then…he _did_ think of something else. He remembered that Quetzacoatl wasn't supposed to have a body…but that she was borrowing it from someone else…

He looked harder at the esper, and stiffened a bit.

"What about Horus?" He asked her. "Is she…?"

"Umm…"

This sudden moan not only attracted Ragnar's attention, but that of Shalua and Quetzacoatl herself. They all turned and looked behind them, and found themselves looking back to Aerith. Rather…to what was in her arms…

A human hand slowly raised up and put itself to a human brow. The owner looked tired and sore, and she rubbed herself for a moment as she moaned and turned. However…it was only for a moment. She suddenly slowed down. Her eyes opened, and looked over to her arm. They were lazy and glazed for a moment…but soon began to become wider and more alert. Immediately, she began to lean up, no longer appearing tired. Aerith let her go, letting her down to stand on her own two feet. The woman herself put both arms in front of her, and marveled at both of them. She looked down and over her body, and seemed to be growing excited. She didn't care that she was totally naked in front of strangers at the moment. She just gaped at it as if it would go away, before she reached up and put her hands on her face, beginning to feel all over it. Everything was there. A mouth with teeth, a nose slightly elevated…even long blond hair.

Seeing this, the woman's eyes closed. She pressed her hands closer to her nose and mouth and seemed to almost smell them…taste them… Tears soon began to flow from the cracks in her eyelids.

"…I'm human again…" Horus spoke aloud in a trembling whisper.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	5. Everyone's Talking

"…You look a bit tired. Maybe you should get some rest."

"I don't want to. I'm still afraid this is a dream."

"We'll all probably have to stay at the inn tonight anyway." Shalua threw in sardonically. "This place is a wreck. The backup generator will only last so long."

"Err…sorry."

Ragnar had a feeling that Shalua could give the last speaker a critical, scolding look…but she didn't. After all, no one really wanted to make Quetzacoatl upset at the moment…now that she had been fully restored.

The esper was reclining inside of Shalua's tank again, once more being monitored. This time, she was "roosting" on the ground, much like a real bird would. Shalua had enough power to keep running her tests for a bit longer, and so she did so. Unfortunately, all other repairs would take days…probably weeks or months. In the meantime, she'd have to start thinking about packing things up and moving out of there for a while until the place could be bandaged up enough to keep out the elements. As it was, the spare bedroom was no doubt being hammered.

Shalua was back at her console. Next to her was what she had been going for…a tranquilizer gun. To tell the truth, it wasn't really any form of pneumatic pistol or anything. It was an actual handgun…in fact, one of the more powerful ones. The only difference was that she was using some sort of special ammunition with it that was nonlethal. That was odd to Ragnar… She didn't deal with large organisms routinely. Why would she keep a gun around?

Ragnar was seated a bit further away, across from Quetzacoatl. Aerith had gone back to bed. Almost as soon as the others had relieved her of Horus, she rushed back to the kids. It was only then that Ragnar realized she had left them alone. He almost felt like yelling at her for leaving in the first place…but realized he couldn't be that angry. If she hadn't left, Horus would now be dead. She would never have survived that fall, and Ragnar wasn't as strong as he used to be. He couldn't have caught her.

Horus herself was dressed in some of Shalua's old clothing. Shalua didn't look like a woman of very high personal upkeep, so they were dirty. Yet Horus didn't seem to care. All she cared about was sitting in her chair with her legs tucked in on herself, and feeling her own skin…feeling that the wings and feathers were gone and she had true hands once more…

Quetzacoatl shook her head in an apologetic gesture. "I'm very sorry… I couldn't help it. As soon as I first felt some of that lightning enter me…I had to have more. And the more I took, the more I wanted it. It was like I was headed to some zenith, and the closer I went the less I wanted to be held back. I couldn't think clearly again until I was struck by that bolt of lightning… And when that happened…"

The esper froze a moment, and looked down to herself. She looked up again, and gestured in with her wings. "Well…you can see."

Ragnar stared at the bird esper a bit longer. He couldn't help but marvel at her, possessing some childlike wonder in doing so. Quetzacoatl wasn't Bahamut…but seeing any esper alive was enough to excite him and make him happy.

After a moment, the silence was broken. Horus looked up from her position and put her hands to her sides. She looked to the giant bird, and unlike many other people would probably do…stared without fear.

"I don't know who you are or how you got into me…but thank you. I'll never be able to repay what you did for me."

Quetzacoatl turned to Horus, and shortly thereafter seemed to look embarrassed, utilizing whatever facial expressions she was capable of. Horus had little to no memory of her possession. She only remembered going into the shrine and, to confirm Shalua's theory, taking a drink from one of the bowls. The next thing she knew, she was waking up with cold rain splashing on her face, and as she came to she realized she was in her old body. On the way inside and taking Horus to get changed, Ragnar, Shalua, and Quetzacoatl had filled her in on the details.

The esper herself had come in. Outside at night, she stuck out like a sore thumb. They found out that she could dim her electric glow, but even then it wasn't enough. Everyone in the city who was still awake had noticed that flash…and some who were asleep. They had to get her inside. Now that she was much larger and in full bird form, she had a harder time of doing it. Luckily, Shalua's hallways were extra large. Only the doors gave the esper trouble. In the end, the scientist had let her in through the loading entrance, but had successfully gotten her into the lab. Once there, they began their latest wave of research.

"I'd like to answer that question myself." Shalua spoke as she looked at her computer. "I really don't want to overwork the system for too long, but I don't want to sit on this any longer either. And I am picking up something. There's a definite change. The ionic charge difference isn't working anymore. You seem to have stopped taking in power. And now, the energy is radiating from all over you, not just in your bloodstream. So there's definitely been some sort of alteration that let you to…this. But how it happened and why is still beyond me. It's clear that you were absorbing the energy from lightning. At some point, it must have crossed a threshold that led to this. But how did it manage to untangle Horus' DNA? Nothing should have been able to do that…"

"I don't care how it did it." Horus immediately answered. "All I want to know is if another one of those bowls will do the same thing again."

All three other parties in the room turned to Horus at that.

The woman stared back plainly.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is a miracle find, and to me it's well worth bringing a few other creatures like this one to life." She answered, gesturing to the esper. "I need to find Malcolm and his brother. They need to drink some of that water as well. Let two more entities possess them. Then, once they come to full power and come out, they'll be human again as well."

Shalua's eyes crooked at this. "…Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious." Horus immediately answered. "This is their only hope. Why wouldn't I want it for them?"

"Wait…"

Quetzacoatl's sudden interjection once again made people turn to her. When they did, they saw that the esper's head was rising…and she looked more intrigued.

"…I haven't realized this until now." She began. "But if I was brought back to life through this method…is there a way that other espers could be brought back to life the same way?"

Hearing this made Ragnar pause. He hadn't thought about it before…but now the idea was suddenly planted in his head.

The image of a great dragon went through his mind.

"You see?" Horus answered. "She agrees with me. Who's to say that she didn't want this in the first place? She can't remember it now, but she was dead then. We both got something we wanted. I was restored and she got her body and her life back. There might be more that want the same thing."

"Hang on…" Quetzacoatl suddenly interrupted, raising one of her wings in a stopping gesture. "I didn't say that I wanted more espers brought back to life. I just…I just thought of it, that's all. I mean…sure. I like the idea of there being other espers around besides me, obviously. I'm feeling a lot better now that I have this new form, but there's still lots of things I'm not comfortable with. One is that I'm the only one here. But still…we're dead. All of us. We've been dead for over a thousand years. I mean…isn't it our time? Shouldn't we just…I don't know…go into the grave?"

"Both of you aren't thinking this thing through." Shalua answered. "We don't know exactly what happened in that chamber. We won't know without further research. But the most obvious problem with this kind of talk or plans is this…"

Here, the scientist turned fully to Quetzacoatl. The esper actually looked back a bit.

"Feeling better?" She asked.

The esper blinked in confusion once, but then shrugged. "…Of course."

"Back to your old power state?"

The esper gave a nod. "Pretty much."

"What exactly can you do at full power?"

Quetzacoatl paused a moment. Then, however, she gave another shrug. "I don't know. I could probably rip a six foot deep trench into the ground for a few hundred feet easily. If I focused, I might even be able to take the top off of a small mountain."

"Exactly." Shalua flatly answered. "You're only a minor esper, and you can do all of that. One of the larger ones could probably do a lot more. Not only that, but you admitted you didn't know how you had gotten here. Based on what I heard, there is some element of randomness as to whose spirit is in those bowls. So what's to say we don't pull out a spirit who isn't willing to cooperate with us? What about one that doesn't like humanity that much? And who's to say that we'll pull out an esper at all? And Horus…don't forget…if it wasn't for Aerith, you'd be dead now…human or not."

The woman frowned and bowed her head. She balled a hand into a fist and looked irritated, but she said nothing else. She seemed to realize these were valid, if inconvenient, points. As for Quetzacoatl, she too held her tongue. She too saw what Shalua was saying, and she was in agreement. Even if it was morally "right" to bring back more espers, these issues still had to be dealt with.

Horus finally sighed with a tone of irritation. "So what do we do? Know that there's a chance at humanity for two people being hunted to the death in the wild, and just sit on it?"

Ragnar leaned up a bit at this and turned to her. "Trust me…if we can prove these things are safe, then I won't hesitate to allow you use of them to restore your friends."

Horus looked to this but showed nothing. However, she did seem a bit comforted.

Shalua, on the other hand, leveled her one eye at Ragnar…and stared a bit curiously.

"We've got lots of new data to work with now." Ragnar continued. "So tomorrow we'll head back out to the site and try to see what else we can come up with. Me, Aerith, Shalua…everyone."

Quetzacoatl shifted a bit at this. "Uh…Ragnar?" She called. "Are you expecting me to stay here the entire time? I don't mean to shrug off your hospitality…but now that I'm myself again, I'd really like to go flying. I'd like to see how the world has changed."

Shalua looked uncomfortable at this. "I'm not too sure that's a good idea. I'll bet you can stay out of view easily enough, but I know you'll have to be coming back here sometimes. And with the hunters and the phenomenon of last night, people might start to get suspicious."

"Oh, let her." Horus protested in response. "She shouldn't have to be caged up here or stuck in a lab."

Ragnar himself turned to Shalua and gave a shrug. "Besides…you can't really have her hanging around here if you want repairs done."

The scientist frowned a bit, but then gave a sigh. "Fine. But if you can keep that light you're shining to a minimum, that would be best. And you should be in here at night at least. I may need to test you a bit more, and people might be around looking for you at night as well."

Quetzacoatl gave a nod. "Fair deal."

Ragnar turned back to the esper at this. He paused a moment, but then spoke quietly.

"…I take it you're not suicidal at this point then."

The esper looked to him…and then paused as well. She seemed a bit hesitant after that. However, it was undeniable that the esper was in a far better mood since she had gotten her powers and body. She almost seemed like she had forgotten about this for the moment. Yet after a second more, she gave a shrug.

"…I think I'd like to stick around long enough to see how this plays out first." She finally stated. "My kind never did look favorably on taking one's own life. I just assumed that as soon as I left Horus I would return to the Lifestream. But now that I seem to be alive again with my own body…I'll hold on a bit longer at least."

Ragnar paused here…but, under his blank face, seemed to be a bit pleased with this answer.

"Alright."

* * *

"Let's just get it absolutely clear. You _did_ drink from this bowl?" Shalua held up the empty stone utensil to accent this. 

Horus gave a nod. "Yes."

"Can you remember anything else? Anything at all?"

Horus bowed her head for a moment. She bit her lip and struggled to think. "…I vaguely remember…sourness. It didn't seem like water… It was too tart… But that's it."

Shalua crooked an eyebrow at that. "Hmm…" She mused. "Indicates acid…or strong ion concentration…"

Aerith herself stood back and waited for consultation herself. She was still trying to wrap her own mind around what had happened, and wished she had time to try and contact the Planet about this. However, she hadn't learned about most of it until this morning.

Nothing short of a miracle had seemed to happen last night. Quetzacoatl was given a new body, while Horus' human body was restored. Now they had a real esper in every sense of the word dwelling with them, while Shalua was desperately trying to apply her knowledge to find out more. That morning, after she had gotten the kids dressed and ready, she brought them out to meet with Ragnar and the others. Ragnar himself had already placed a call in toward Cosmo Canyon, seeing if old Red XIII could dig up anything else about the Well of the Guardian Forces in light of this latest revelation. Horus herself had left to get some new clothes. Ragnar had gone ahead and spotted her the cash, although they were getting a bit tight at this point…

Quetzacoatl had left with the dawn. The sky was clear now, and she was somewhere over the vast wilderness of the Northern Continent, reveling in her restored power and gazing at how Gaia had changed. As for the others, they set out again for the shrine. This time, Aerith was the only one going in, along with Shalua and Horus. Ragnar had wanted to come, but he ended up having to stay back with the kids and decided to show them around the City. Shalua was getting her first look at the shrine. Horus needed to be there to see how many memories she could dig up. Rex was also there, doing his work on the minerals that surrounded the site. So far, all he was able to tell them was that he had increasing evidence that this place had been intentionally put there with technology far more advanced than the time period. None of the rock looked like it had been part of the original structure. All of it had a metal skeleton.

Shalua turned around toward Aerith a moment later. She motioned back to the now dry stalactite. "Can you still sense anything coming from this?"

Aerith furrowed her brow somewhat. It was hard to concentrate with how loud all the rest of the voices in the shrine were. However, she walked forward and pushed past Horus and Shalua, so that she could get as close to it as she could. Once she got there, she closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.

In the end, she opened them and shook her head. "Nothing. It's silent now."

"Why don't you try the full one next to it?"

Aerith looked up a bit, and turned her head to the right, next to the next nearest bowl. Soon thereafter, she inched a bit closer to it. She closed her eyes again as she came to a stop, and focused on it. Sure enough, the voices were immediately present. Not only that, but they quickly began to build up in intensity. As she heard them coming, she concentrated a bit more. She tried to sift through it…get to where it originated. Try to hear just one voice…see what it was saying…

"Watch it!"

Aerith snapped her eyes open just as Horus reached out a hand and placed it against her chest. She was halted and pushed back slightly. As the Cetra looked in front of her at what had happened…she noticed she was even closer to the bowl than before. In fact, she had nearly put her face in it again.

"You almost touched that." Horus warned as she pulled her arm back. "I don't know if you have to drink it, but I don't think you want to find out."

The Cetra began to look confused.

"…That's the second time that's happened." She answered. "I didn't try to. It's just…as I was concentrating on the voices…I subconsciously got closer to it…"

Shalua looked rather intrigued at this.

"…Really?" She asked.

Aerith turned to her and gave a nod.

The scientist hesitated a moment, but then moistened her lips. As she did, she pulled a set of devices that she had brought along with her and had since been holding in her arms away from her body. She immediately bent down and placed them on the floor of the shrine. Soon after she did so, she stood up, put her arms to her sides, inhaled and exhaled, and then closed her remaining eye.

"Watch me." She told them.

Aerith wasn't sure what she meant by this. Was she expecting to do the same thing? Aerith had understood that she might be drawn to it. Perhaps she had been trying to hear the voice more clearly, and had unknowingly approached it like sound and gotten closer. Yet it shouldn't matter to a regular human. Strong as the spirits were in here, Aerith doubted that she could get a good "vibe".

However…the Cetra was proven wrong a moment later.

Abruptly, Shalua's body began to lean. It wasn't distinct at first. One could easily think they imagined it. Yet as time ticked by…it became more obvious. She saw her hair and coat shift. She saw the shadows around her change. She was definitely leaning. Not to the same one Aerith was at, however. She was headed for a different one, her head slowly shifting to point like a sundial needle…

Eventually, however, Shalua moved so much that she had to put a foot out or fall over. Instinctively, she did so. As soon as it slammed against the ground, her eye opened in a flash. Her mouth loosened as she looked down over herself, and saw that she had indeed shifted. She turned around and looked to the others. Aerith and Horus were silent, but the looks on their faces were all that Shalua needed to see. For a moment, the three women were totally quiet.

"…That's interesting…" Shalua finally concluded, as she began to stand straight again. Soon after, she bent down and picked up some of her devices once more. She turned her head back to the source of where her body had been leaning and began to walk toward it. A moment later, and she was halting next to that rack of bowls.

The moment having passed, the two other women relaxed somewhat. They began to approach her as she switched on a palm device, and began to pull out what looked like an electric, corded thermometer from it. Once she had it out, she looked over the bowl in front of her.

"We can't very well test this by drinking it. Even touching it might not be safe. So I'm going to take a reading with this. Maybe it has some sort of ion charge in it that is relevant to what happened."

After saying this, Shalua looked over the bowl. She hesitated for a moment, but then switched her grip to her artificial arm, reached forward, and placed the probe inside. She looked for any immediate effects, but saw nothing. Aerith herself couldn't see anything. No bubbles. No hissing. No bursting into flame or electrocution. Nothing. Shalua noticed this, and in the end decided to stop waiting for it. She reached down to her probe and pressed a button.

A few seconds later, and the woman blinked in response, clearly surprised, and then looked up to the bowl and back to her meter again.

"That's…unexpected…"

"What now?" Horus asked.

"Ions aren't a problem here." She responded. "It's just as neutral as normal water. But somehow…and I'm not sure what's causing this…this bowl is freezing. The temperature of the water is well below zero. I'm wondering how come it's not freezing."

Horus looked puzzled at this herself. She turned to the bowl, and then reached out with her hand. She didn't try and touch it. She simply held her hand just over the water as Shalua pulled her probe from it. After feeling a moment, she pulled it back.

"You're right. I can feel how cold it is just above it." The woman added. "But this isn't at all like the previous bowl…" She hesitated a moment after this, but then reached out and touched the bowl's sides. Nothing else happened, but after a second she pulled it back. "It's ice cold. The bowl I picked up wasn't like this at all."

Shalua paused for a moment, looking at the bowl. However, after a moment or two, she turned to the next bowl over. She reached out with her probe and dipped it inside.

This time, she yanked the probe out almost as quickly as she put it in. As soon as the metal broke the water…what looked like crystals of iron began to gather around it. Within a moment, there was already a lattice around the part in the water. As soon as it was out, she immediately held it in front of her and gaped. Aerith and Horus did much the same. The probe was ruined now…covered with what looked like iron fuzz.

Shalua blinked a moment more, but then sighed and unplugged the probe all together. Now useless, she began to shove it into her coat pocket. She wasn't going to litter, after all.

"Well, isn't this all nutty." She murmured. "First there's a bowl with electrical charge. Then one that should be ice. Now we have one that attaches metal to other metal objects…"

"Lightning, ice, and metal…" Horus answered back.

On hearing this, something clicked within Aerith's mind. She remembered the poem from yesterday. Immediately, her head rose, and she found herself speaking aloud.

"Pure Fire, Pure Earth, Pure Wind, Pure Water, Ice, Lightning, Crystal, Sun, Moon…"

Both the scientist and the restored woman looked back to her.

"Excuse me?" Shalua asked.

Aerith focused on them.

"The Guardian Forces." She answered. "The poem was right…"

Both women looked confused at this.

"What poem? What are you talking about?" Shalua answered.

"We found a children's poem in the City of the Ancients." Aerith answered back. "It was the only time they mentioned anything like Guardian Forces that we could find. There were eighteen of them, and there are eighteen bowls here. Three of the forces were Lightning, Ice, and Steel. That's what these bowls correspond to. The cold one was Ice. The one that put that metal residue on your probe was Steel. Horus must have drank Lightning."

Aerith paused here, and began to look around the chamber. Shalua and Horus let her, not fully understanding what she had just told them. The woman didn't seem to mind, but instead looked around the area a bit longer. She stayed silent…for she was feeling out again like she had the other day. She had to confirm something. She nearly closed her eyes again to sense it…but at the last moment she snapped them open again.

"…That's what's going on here." She spoke with a tone of revelation. "That's what the shrine is doing. It's not just collecting water. It's collecting spirits. It _is_ tapping the Lifestream…but only for certain things. Each bowl is only tapping it for a spirit that's of its same nature. The spirits aren't even aware of it. They're only there for a few moments before they return to the Lifestream and a different one of the same nature comes in. That's why Quetzacoatl didn't remember coming here. She _didn't_ try and come here. Her spirit was in the bowl when Horus drank it…and somehow it got into her."

Shalua hesitated for a moment after hearing all this. Horus herself leaned back a bit and took a moment to take it all in. It was likely that she was skeptical. Aerith herself couldn't blame her. After all, it wasn't entirely backed up. It fit all of the facts that she had observed so far, but it didn't necessarily make it true. They had only tested three bowls, after all. However…the Cetra herself had a feeling it was the truth. Something inside her was seeming to click. Maybe there were forces in the Lifestream that were trying to give her the answer…

Horus gave a shrug in the end. "I never was much for spiritual crap…but after what happened to me, I guess that would make me a true believer. I'm not sure how much this all fits together, and it does sound a bit weird to me…"

"Actually…I think you just might have something."

Shalua's sudden interruption made both Horus and Aerith redirect their attention toward her. The woman herself began to scratch her chin and stare out into space. She was coming up with something.

"We know that mako readily forms a matrix with water. I don't detect any mako per say here…but that's not necessarily incompatible with this theory. If we think about it in the more atomic sense, we can consider the molecules in the water itself. In that case, water, along with anything else, can hold a charge of energy in it for a brief time. It excites their electrons to a higher orbital. Mako is a high energy substance. It might not be here…but the energy that's inside it can indeed be transferred into water. In fact…due to water's nature, it might not just be idle to assume that water is a spiritual conduit on blind faith alone. Its hydrogen bonding properties allow it to remain stable a lot longer than other molecules. And as for energy…well, we all know that spirits contain some energy within them, whether it be high or low. And energy itself is never created or destroyed. It's simply transferred. So the energy _could_, in theory, be transferred into these bowls…"

Shalua trailed off here. The other two women had their eyes widened a bit. They looked out and at the bowls around them again. Although Aerith was the only one who could hear them…Horus could easily imagine it. Shalua herself began to look around again as well. It grew very silent in the well for a few seconds. To all three of them, Aerith's theory suddenly seemed far more likely. In fact, it was starting to look like the truth. And if that was the case, then what they said that morning might indeed be true. Various espers could be residing in the bowls…just waiting for the chance to come out and back to life…waiting for someone to act as their vessel as they gained enough power to go out on their own…

The scientist, in the end, cleared her throat and spoke with a bit more business in her voice.

"…Alright, there's still going to have to be lots of testing work. This theory may hold true for now, but it needs more hard evidence. That might be hard unless we decide to…experiment. And I still don't know how the spirit of Quetzacoatl was able to restore Horus' body purely by accident. But for now…I'd like to get back to the lab and move my data out. I need to find a good computer to start processing all of this on…"

* * *

"So…they actually brought an esper back from the dead?" Denzel asked. 

Cloud gave a bit of a shrug. "I don't know. It's not like what we did with Aerith…but it's something analogous to it. I suppose you could think of it this way."

"So what now?" Tifa asked. "They can't leave those other two people like that."

"Yeah…" Cloud answered, looking down a bit and rubbing his chin. "But then again, this isn't exactly normal stuff. It might not be good to just play around with it."

Ragnar's call had come in late that day. It had been rather uneventful. No big problems or hassles. Nothing from any haters in the community either…although that might change very soon. Tomorrow was supposed to be a panel for the city council to be addressed and questioned by members of the community. The local media was anticipating that the new "magical beings" would turn up.

The biggest shocker was when Ragnar had called in, following up to yesterday. A lot had seemed to have happened up north with that place they dug up. And now they had a theory to go with it that was rather incredible. And for that theory…they had one rather large and amazing piece of evidence.

"I want to see the esper!" Crain spoke up after a moment. Right now, the family unit was gathered in the living room. Cloud had shared the news with them, but had waited until Marlene had gone home for the day before sharing it. He wasn't sure how far this should go. "Can we go?"

"I don't think so." Tifa immediately answered, turning to Crain and speaking in a "mother knows best" tone. "Aerith's going to be coming back with Samoa and Simoa tomorrow. You said you've been wanting to see them again since they left."

Crain, however, fixating only on what he couldn't have, as most younger children did, simply crossed his arms and pouted.

"What is Ragnar going to do with it now?" Denzel spoke up soon after. "Does he want to bring more espers back from the dead?"

Cloud gave a small snort at that. "I wouldn't put it by him that he might be thinking about that…but I doubt that's what he's going to do."

Azure scratched his own head and frowned a bit. "Well, I don't get it." He stated. "Who built that thing? And why did they build it? Did they think espers were going to die sometime in the future and then just have this around to revive them?"

Cloud and Tifa alike turned their heads to their adopted son. As Cloud stared at him, he had to restrain giving a half chuckle. Azure was sharp, no doubts there. He thought more like an adult than a teenager, and he had brought up a good point. Why _had_ someone built this? Be it aliens or ancient civilizations or whatever…why was it there?

"Well, hopefully, the kid and that scientist will come up with something." Cloud finally concluded. "We have enough problems to deal with around here."

* * *

_Do you sense it?_

_…No. But I'm not as attuned as you are._

_You should still be able to. Concentrate._

_…I guess it seems a little different…but I've never really focused before._

_It is different. Something's changed._

_I noticed that as well._

_…Hello there, my brother._

_It's been a long time, Bahamut._

_Why are you still here? I thought you would have passed on long ago._

_I wished to see how the War of the Magi ended, and if humanity would learn from its mistakes. It took a bit longer and I had my doubts more than once…but I felt a lot better once magic was gone. That was…until I realized that as soon as you'd be joining us it would return. And since I've waited this long…I've decided to wait out the life of the Planet as well. After that, we really won't have a choice, will we?_

_What about Starlet?_

_What is a few thousand…a few tens of thousands…or even a few million years to the span of eternity?_

_I hope she feels the same way…wherever she is._

_And this is…?_

_Bahamut would have been my husband had he lived._

_…Truly?_

_…Are there any more of our kind still here that you know of, Leviathan?_

_Precious few. Most of us have gone on to the next world. There was no reason for us to stay behind. That causes me some worry in light of new events…_

_New events?_

_I've sensed what you've sensed. Quetzacoatl was among us until recently. She remained in the Lifestream because she was unable to understand that she had died._

_Yes. I met one esper by that name. I'm not familiar with one myself…but she seemed as if she was unable to understand where she was._

_Well…now she is gone._

_Gone? You mean she went on to the next world?_

_No. I mean that there has been a tremor in the Lifestream._

_…What?_

_A ripple. Something that is normally impossible…but was caused none the less. Some sort of force on Gaia caused it. I don't know how…but a spirit that still had a soul attached to it was pulled out from the Lifestream. I don't know where it is now…but I presume that it went back to Gaia._

_How so?_

_The same feeling happened when you went back to life._

_…I regret to say that I wasn't able to be here for that event, so I wouldn't know. But you've intrigued me, and I trust your opinion. Something very unnatural must be occurring. _

_What do you want to do, Bahamut?_

_…I'm going to try and look into the world of the living._

_That's dangerous! If you stretch yourself too far and strain too much, your soul will be lost on the surface of Gaia!_

_She's right, Bahamut. You'll become a faceless wraith. Maybe even one of those dragon zombies… Many lost souls have paid a tall price for trying to go back._

_I just need a glimpse._

_Why?_

_I'm with her, Bahamut. Why? It's all over. We're here now. It's time for us to think about the next world and forget about the affairs of the old one. We ran around trying to fix things for thousands of years while we were alive. Now that we're dead, we're supposed to do the same thing?_

_If Quetzacoatl truly returned to the world of the living…then perhaps it wouldn't be wise for us still here to forget about that world just yet. This may have grave implications. What if the people of Gaia have discovered a way to bring spirits back to life? If so…then consider the obviousness of it. Most of the souls that didn't move on to the next world are those that are full of anguish and rage…or are simply trying to prolong the eternity that awaits them…_

_…That is true._

_Bahamut…_

_Don't fear, Terra. I didn't wait half a century to die to let myself be separated from you so easily._

* * *

"**GUARDIAN FORCE" REPORT #4**

Mrs. Vice has suggested that each bowl is somehow tapping the Lifestream for a certain element which pertains to one of the "Guardian Forces". The only clue we have to the existence of these elements is a nursery rhyme that Mr. Vice managed to recover. Since we have no way to translate the language, at current we have no way of knowing which of the bowls corresponds to a given element. And since Mrs. Vice is returning home soon, I have only Mr. Vice to rely on for a "giveaway" clue contained within the spirits, assuming one exists.

As to why this well was created in the first place or the mechanism by which it was able to restore Mrs. Preene to her original human DNA, I have yet to find true evidence. Considering the latter case, I do have one theory. Whatever this material is, it seems to somehow be utilizing spirits in a physical sense. Such a thing may have been considered outlandish a few decades ago, but since the advent of mako power we now know that there are ways in which spiritual energy can be forcibly manipulated. My current guess is that somehow during the "blending experiment" that produced Mrs. Preene's bird body, somehow the spirit of the bird was jettisoned, and only her consciousness was retained. If such is the case, then there is a chance that the spirit, or whatever substance the spirit had managed to bond itself to, in the course of rebuilding the body of Quetzacoatl, also recognized another spirit and, by default, rebuilt it as well. There is more than adequate evidence that such a thing happens with enzymes within a cell. If the water in the bowls can be considered an "enzyme", then perhaps this case is analogous.

This aspect of the research has given me increasing fascination. Until now, spiritual energy was only thought of in the sense of being utilized as a power source. Now, it looks as though it may be possible to awaken a whole new realm of technology based upon this. If the theory is correct that the bowls work in this fashion, and I can somehow construct a model based off of it, then it might be the framework for a new way of treating disease, including genetic diseases. Autoimmune disorders, mental retardation, cancer susceptibility… All could be things of the past.

* * *

When General Marco Leers established the New Shinra Army, he spent the better part of three years trying to build an impressive fighting force. He already had numerous troops, but not enough to wage a global war. Hence, he devoted considerable time to getting new "recruits", training them, equipping them, and capturing numerous people to use as workers to help him build his war machine. 

Yet in all the files he scoured, all the depos he raided, and all of the secrets he managed to uncover over that time and during the war…the greatest treasure of all eluded him.

The original President Shinra had never enjoyed the fact that he had to depend upon people with free wills to enforce his designs. The man had been obsessed with controlling everything, including the desires of his underlings. After seeing what true soldiers were capable of with his SOLDIER program, and yet seeing how far his research could be set back with insubordination of people like Gast, he desired to create the perfect military. One that knew only one thing…victory. No independent thought. No concerns for pain or hunger. No notions of freedom or peace. Their bodies would be bred for war. Their minds would know only military discipline. The strong and powerful would live. The weak and resistant would die.

To that end…he turned to the vast network beneath Midgar. Ragnar, Cloud, and Vincent had sampled but a small trace of it when they had gone after Hoeng. The truth was that it stretched far greater than that. Almost all of the area beneath Midgar had been converted to mechanical down to a depth of half a kilometer when the testing of the original prototype mako reactor had begun…better known to those aware of its existence as "Mako Reactor 0". It had been useful at the time, since a vein of actual Lifestream was tapped far below that city. Yet what was truly useful about it now was that there were very limited entryways into the vast catacombs. Those were easily sealed off until only one remained…making the area a perfect prison. Worse than that…a new Pandemonium.

Bit by bit…people were placed within it. Never as adults. Young children. Never older than ten. Midgar had no shortage of them. But neither did demilitarized zones during the war with Wutai. Or any other place where reactors were being built. The first batch was the hardest. Through misery and cruel anguish the likes of which never before experienced by the world above, they were twisted and warped both mentally and physically. Their genetics were modified to be easily controllable by their overlords. Their physicality was enhanced both through traditional methods and experimental. Most importantly…all traces of individuality and mercy were beaten out of them. Torn apart. Burned away. Leaving no trace. Those who adapted to this life were allowed to live. Those that didn't were ripped to shreds.

Once they were obedient and strong, they became trained. Through simulations and rigorous exercises repilicating every battle environment known to Shinra, they learned out to fight in every situation. Guerrilla, sniper, urban assault, battleground…they knew them all. They also became well versed with weapons and technology. At that point, the President wasn't afraid to give them advanced weapons. Even Sweepers, Dragonfly helicopters, and the advanced Black Widow prototypes were showered like holiday gifts upon them. They were obedient now. They would simply train with them to become stronger and more skilled…until the day they could truly put them to good use.

They grew mightier. They seemed to evolve on themselves, weeding out weaker in favor of stronger and stronger. The President began to see the makings of a true army, and so he gave them a name. DeepGround. Yet perhaps it was that evolution pressure to become continuously stronger that brought a downfall to the project.

Precious few records of DeepGround existed. Only the "wardens" of that prison and the highest authorities in the military knew about it. Hence, it was hard to know where the most unstable element of all came from… However, their name was clear. They called themselves the Tsviets.

No one knew how they originated. Were they born down there? Were they the "picks of the litter" of the people from the above world? Were they transformed into monsters from flesh and blood humans? All that was known was that death was more than a way of life for them. It was a religion. A purpose. The _only_ purpose. The noblest calling. They were bits of war and death personified. Each one was more terrifying and powerful than the one before them. Over them all, however, one stood out far higher…

Weiss.

There actually were records of a Weiss in the war with Wutai. He was one of the members of SOLDIER. A good one as well. He achieved 1st Class almost as soon as he was put onto the field. At one point, however, after a particularly violent operation, he was reported going down. His body was never recovered. It was almost undeniable that the President found a better purpose for him.

Most of the others in DeepGround had to be "broken". They'd make their moves against their controllers, and as a result would be horribly beaten. They would try a few times, but eventually they would break. Then they'd force themselves to learn new ways to vent their rage…or simply conform to their fates.

Weiss did not. He seemed to enjoy his stay in DeepGround. After his already tremendous strength was enhanced by even more experimental methods, he became almost godlike in his ability. He easily conquered all of the trials, and was bored with them. He only wanted a more fitting challenge after each one. Even when two of the Tsviets attacked him at once, they were little more than putty in his hands. His overlords were well pleased, watching him become greater and greater, considering him their best investment producing the most interest.

What they failed to realize was how blatant their mistakes were. Weiss was not some child or baby who had been born and raised in this hell. He was a thinking, rational man with great capacity for calculations and strategy. He alone out of all others in DeepGround had true leadership qualities. They also failed to realize that by going along with all of their operations with a smile…Weiss had earned far too much of their trust. They didn't monitor him as much as the others. Nor had they tried to place any safeguards on him. As a result, while behind the mask of joy at victory…Weiss' mind thought and calculated.

When it came…it was a total shock. No one knows exactly what happened, but somehow Weiss, who was now leader of the Tsviets, managed to either ursurp his own genetic controls or that of another. Their warden was killed. Weiss announced that DeepGround was going autonomous…underneath him.

Before things got any worse, the President immediately pulled out all remaining wardens and sealed the entrance. Foolishness on his part, many would say. But that was only because he realized the truth too late. He had created a monster. DeepGround now possessed as much or more power than the standing Shinra military. Now that they were rebelling, it meant that even pouring his entire forces down that hole to battle them would likely be insufficient. Especially since DeepGround knew the territory and had all of the latest weapons. The only thing he could do in the end was seal them there behind a door that was hopefully both impervious to their current weapons and impervious to whatever weapon they could develop. After all…that was the most "cost effective".

By some act of chance or fate, DeepGround's record of existence was almost wiped off the face of the Planet over the next few months. That was when the Meteor Crisis began, and President Shinra, General Heidegger, and Mrs. Scarlet of Weapons Development were all assassinated. The short-lived successor to the President, Rufus Shinra, was soon "removed" from office, before ever learning anything about DeepGround. Only a few scraps of information now existed regarding it. Almost nothing in terms of a "paper trail" remained.

The President may have thought he had sequestered DeepGround…but he had done just the opposite. He had ignored it. Left it alone like a malignant tumor. Given them the chance to form a new order rather than stop them before Weiss could fully assume control. Last but not least…he gave no one any warning as the army slowly and surely drew its plans against the world that had buried them alive.

It was five years ago when they finally broke free. They didn't have the most intelligent minds in the world down there, but they did have enough knowledge of engineering on computer files to find out how to enhance weapons. And eventually, they were able to make a plan for an advanced projectile weapon which would possess sufficient force to drive the metal doorway off of its moorings, snapping it where it was weakest.

But before they were able to implement it…the first of two great disasters befell them.

To the surface world, the cataclysm that was supposed to be a mako eruption beneath Midgar was halted. The Cetra Aerith had redirected the flow back into the world moments before oblivion, causing only a relatively smaller eruption. The city was spared with minimal seismic damage. But underneath was a different story…

Most of the network that had formed the passages of DeepGround was now melted. Bodies of countless soldiers were forever lost on the other sides of them. Massive damage had occurred to both equipment and manpower. Entire sectors were wiped clean by the deluge of mako. Tunnels had collapsed and water and food alike were contaminated. While the mako eruption had never managed to damage the lines of those who lived above ground, it had come far enough to destroy almost all of what was left of Shinra's secret army. Of those that survived, many soon died from severe mako poisoning. Only about 80 soldiers in all were left by the end of the latest nightmare to befall DeepGround.

After that, of course, escape became the highest priority. All remaining personnel devoted all time and energy to finishing the weapon that would free them. And eventually, they did succeed. After a seeming eternity of torture and misery, the Tsviets walked out from the destroyed entrance and breathed the surface air again. Some of them for the first time.

Yet although the world had no knowledge of their existence and would hence be caught off guard again…DeepGround was at a severe disadvantage. It had lost far too many. Eighty alone could not conquer the world. Even if they had a few generations to breed, it would mean little. They needed more. Although this was what their commanders had done before them…Weiss decided that it would be better if they could recruit more from the outside world. After all…any new order that he created would only allow the strong to survive in the first place. To that end, they started to build a system for new recruits. Weiss didn't care to waste time with worthless individuals who would amount to nothing. He wanted the biggest, smartest, and strongest. To do so required breaking into numerous school records for elementary students, and examining scores on tests and physical exams, and then tracking those back to doctor reports and IQ tests for more results. While this was being done, they went to work rebuilding the automation factories. They tried to supplement their loss of manpower with more sweepers and Black Widows…even much smaller units like Red Saucer drones.

Getting new recruits was a bit harder. Weiss wanted "large harvests", but they dared not take more than ten at a time. They couldn't just grab them as they normally wished either. They had to move out secretly and seize them. Public events, fairs, or other confusing events usually meant good cover. By spacing them out long term and moving between cities, as well as putting spatial distance between each capture, they had managed to collect some 100 in the first year, and increase that by an additional 100 each of the following years. Unfortunately, only the earliest batch was even showing signs of some battle capability. None of them were that convinced that their "weaker" emotions had been totally purged yet. It would be another five years yet before they could consider putting them on the field.

Yet it wasn't long after that event that the second crisis hit them.

All of the Tsviets knew that they had been genetically modified. None of them, however, were aware of how far the extent of the modification had gone. Now it seemed as if Shinra had never fully trusted Weiss to be obedient. With the death of their "warden", it seemed as if some sort of genetic failsafe had been triggered. Perhaps it was something he needed in his diet. Perhaps it was some sort of verbal command. Maybe he had set it off before his death. Whatever it was…it had been set off. Weiss, who was now called the Immaculate and hailed by the survivors of DeepGround, was dying.

It had gotten much worse over the past few months. In fact…the man would now be dead if it wasn't for their technology. As his body had started to die and his organs shut down, he had been confined to his throne in the center of Mako Reactor 0. Once he was in there, devices were hooked up to him that allowed his body to live, each one taking the place of a failed organ. More and more had to be attached to him with time, but for a while he was able to continue to speak and order. Yet eventually it became too much for even him. His brain shut down along with his heart, lungs, and all other organs.

Now he sat erect in his throne, looking like the picture of physical perfection, when the truth was he was dead as a stone. Only the machines were keeping his body artificially working, keeping it alive after death. Yet there was no life left in the bones. He might as well have been a vampire in suspended animation.

The new acting leader had desperately began to look for a means to revive him. He thought of nothing else, and was unable to move DeepGround forward in any other way. He hadn't the autonomy or leadership. None of them did. The search had been mostly fruitless. Gene therapy seemed to be the only way, but it would more than likely finish him rather than cure him. No other technologies were far enough along. Most of the greatest minds that could have done something were dead. Each new day made the situation more hopeless…

That was…until today.

The day when Shelke the Transparent showed her fellow Tsviets that information from Shalua's reports, ending with report number four.

The acting leader stood behind her now, looking over what she had pulled up on her display. His eyes were wide and wild, but his face was covered with so many silver straps that it was hard to tell whether or not he could speak or breathe. His form was like that of a living shadow, tall and domineering and black. Only a few faint glowing blue lines, similar to Shelke's, streaked along his black bodysuit. His arms appeared to be strapped to his body, as if he was in some sort of straight jacket. He hardly seemed to mind, however, and really he didn't need to. He had "other" arms. Behind him, folded up against his back, topped with two metal claws that had folded down and against him, were what appeared to be a set of mechanical wings. His name was Nero the Sable.

"…This is their latest report, yes?" He spoke out, with a tone that seemed to almost be saturated with darkness, dripping it as it came from his unseen lips.

"Yes." Shelke responded. "All of her records regarding the woman Horus Preene has revealed no sign of abnormalities. Despite the extensive genetic problems, she is now intact. Whatever mechanism occurs, it appears to leave the original restored to a state consistent with their own spirit."

Nero's eyes narrowed on the screen. There was little on Gaia that could excite the man…if, indeed, that's what he could still be considered…but this did.

"So…" Another voice began to speak…this one thick and marked with an ancient Nibelheim accent (although its owner had never been there), yet far more malicious and deadly than Nero. "When shall I leave for this well? I've been looking for the chance to spill the blood of this Ragnar Vice for some time now…"

On Nero's left was a woman who looked far more "normal" and yet probably lacked even the shreds of a soul. She had only a partial bodysuit that was deep red, as well as some sort of feathered train splayed behind her. Much of the rest of her body had sharp, cruel-looking metal armor enclosing it. There was enough exposed on her to accent her sexuality…but that was merely for show. The woman's passions were only truly set off by flowing blood. She couldn't even know for sure that she was alive unless she was taking the lives of others. Like her armor, her red hair was pressed back against her head and twisted up into cruel points. Her eyes were as red as the rest of her. Rosso the Crimson.

"It would hardly be prudent to go to the north and attempt to take it at this time." Nero responded. "Remember…the witch is still with them."

Rosso merely flashed a cruel smile and chuckled. "The witch is softer than cream…as is the flesh of her children…"

"None of that will be necessary." Shelke simply answered. Immediately, she began to type once again on her computer, closing the report and pulling up a different screen. "Dr. Rui has acknowledged her inadequacy for fully being able to purge the secrets of the well with her own knowledge, especially with the status of her own laboratory. She is sending out a subset of the total samples back to Edge, toward her acquaintances at Isuzu Industries, along with the returning passengers."

At this point, Shelke had pulled up what appeared to be none other than the web site for Highwind Airways.

A much deeper snort came from the other side of Nero. "And what good would that do us?" A voice that sounded much more at home within a bear than a man went out. "The witch would be there along with it."

Towering far above the other Tsviets was a man-monster, easily over nine feet tall. It was hard to immediately distinguish this "man" from one of Hoeng's creations. He was rippling with muscle that bulged out from beneath his own bodysuit, which had the same glowing blue lines as the others. Unlike them, however, his own skin on his face seemed to have much the same. He had some sort of shreds of fabric forming a scarf or cape that rested behind him. It was of blue hue. His hair was of a lighter shade of blue as well. His face was unforgettable. The skeleton and muscle seemed impossible for human, but certain parts were unmistakably animal. His ears were pointed and aimed backward. His eyes were black and yellow…distinctly feline. Azul the Cerulean.

Shelke didn't answer her monstrous companion, which would seem foolishness normally for a person who literally didn't even come up to his waist. Instead, she pulled up a few more menus on the web site. A few moments later, and it seemed as if she had pulled up the records for tomorrow's flight from Gateway to Edge.

Currently, there was room for thirty more passengers and cargo space.

Shelke typed a few buttons, seeming to pull up a list of names in the process, and then merged it onto the list of existing passengers.

The message turned to no room for further passengers, but cargo space remaining.

"Now they will send the shipment unguarded back to Edge." Shelke explained. "Once that is done, it will simply be a matter of going there and picking it up."

"And of making sure its 'couriers' don't get it." Nero threw in. "And I trust responsibility for a mission of this importance to no one else except the Tsviets themselves. All of us shall be going to retrieve it."

Rosso looked like a child at a birthday. "Splendid. I prefer the blood of Cloud Strife to his weakling friend…"

"This seems too convenient." Azul answered. "What if it doesn't work? Or does more damage to Weiss the Immaculate?"

"I will not risk any harm to my brother." Nero calmly answered. "Fortunately…these reports have given us wind of perfect test subjects that will not be missed. Azul…dispatch forty of our soldiers in a fully equipped Dragonfly to sneak into the north. I want the remaining two 'manimals' found and brought here."

* * *

Ragnar stared on at it for what seemed like forever. It appeared to smack him in the face with the uncertainty, the potential for misfortune. And because of that, he was left here…staring and wondering. 

He didn't see how he had missed this before. It seemed impossible. Yet there is was, clear as day now. Perhaps it was because his mind had swept it up into the rest of the small fractures and breaks there were in the area. Somehow he had erased it without thinking about it. Yet that much of a blemish on reality seemed so obvious now, especially in the face of the otherwise perfect shrine. And that one mark could spell everything wrong for what he hoped…

The hatch overhead creaked. Ragnar turned his head to the side immediately, snapping out of his thoughts for the moment, and looked up to the source. The hydraulics went off, and soon the massive hub stone began to shift to one side. The Cetra waited until it was completely open, and then saw a set of hiking boots and pants, both fresh and new, begin to crawl down the ladder into the area. Soon their owner finished coming down and touched the bottom. She looked back up, seeming to check if someone had followed her, and then reached up to switch the machine back on to close the way behind her. Yet as she did, she looked out…and saw Ragnar staring right at her.

Horus froze for a fraction of a second in surprise. But then, it faded slowly thereafter. Her hand slowly went down, and she relaxed as she stood facing the man.

"…I thought you'd be a few miles away at this point." Ragnar finally stated.

In order to give Horus something to do rather than wait around and mope, Ragnar thought it would be best if she leave and try to find her friends and bring them back to Gateway. It was quite obvious that the woman was not in the best mood about not immediately being allowed to use the bowls to help her friends. They figured this would at least allow her to get started enough so that she wouldn't be too unhappy. She had agreed, and Shalua had loaned the woman her own car to carry them to and fro. She had spent most of the afternoon packing up for a hiking trip, and Ragnar and the others had assumed she would go with it. However…they were apparently wrong.

Horus didn't answer. After a few moments pause, Ragnar moistened his lips and looked down for a moment.

"Forget something down here?"

"Cut the crap." Horus flatly stated after a moment. "You know why I'm down here. I don't care if it requires testing. I can't take the chance that you won't let me use this on Malcolm and Roon."

Ragnar let out a sigh and turned back. "I know how-"

"Would you all stop saying you know how I feel!" Horus cut off with an angry yell, rolling her eyes and groaning. "None of you know how I feel! None of you were monsters! And I don't care how much hell that you and the other one have been through! You could still pass for humans! There were people you could go to! We didn't have anyone!"

Ragnar turned his head slightly.

"I don't mean to sound too hard…but _you're_ the ones who refused to come back with us when we offered."

Horus was rendered silent for a moment on hearing that. Ragnar had a point. Yet after calming down a bit, she crossed her arms and sighed, looking to the ground herself.

"It wouldn't have mattered. We still wouldn't be human or humanoid. Just having to look at your own body and realize what happened…"

The woman went silent after this and stared at the ground for a moment. Ragnar looked back for a little while. He did speak up eventually, and when he did his voice was encouraging.

"If it was just a matter of whether the treatment was risky or not, I'd say that your friends could decide for themselves whether they wanted to chance it. But there's more to it than that. If we could ensure that it wouldn't…you know…bring someone 'mean' back…or if we could clear it with a spirit, so to speak…" He hesitated here, but then spoke up in a different vein. "Shalua and the people at Isuzu might be able to come up with a way that doesn't involve being possessed and is failsafe. But even if not, it's still important that we get them here at least. They can at least be protected from bounty hunters…"

Horus sighed to cut him off, and shook her head tiredly. "I know… I know… I just don't want to have to go through all of this just to find out that you guys will try to keep us from having a bowl."

Ragnar didn't answer this. In truth, what he could possibly answer made him nervous. Not only for what it would mean for Horus' friends…but what it would mean for him.

The Cetra couldn't deny it. He was excited by this, and not by what it meant for mutated people or science or discovery. He was excited because it meant there was a chance to bring the espers back to Gaia. Quetzacoatl was one, but there were seventeen more that could still be revived. The thought filled him with earnest. A small part of him was eager to take the bowls and give them to the first forest animals he could find to drink, and then see which espers would be the ones who would come back. He could picture a world where Terratopolis was rebuilt and espers and man once again lived side by side as they had long ago, with magic uniting them. Most of all…he thought of seeing his master again.

But then…the part of him that was more mature corrected him. Even if he would do something so reckless, what would be the consequences? You couldn't just remove spirits from the Lifestream and place them into bodies again. The natural order of death and life was there for a reason. It had been the espers' time to die once. And the other concerns were prevalent as well. What if it did something to their "hosts"? What if more violent espers were brought back? What if ones that were filled with rage and hate returned…like Wyvern? The monster had nearly killed both him and Cloud once already. Gaia would have no defense if he was to come back.

And worst of all…there was one possibility that filled Ragnar with dread…

"So…what brings _you_ down here?"

Horus' comment snapped Ragnar out of his latest train of thought. He looked to her, and saw that she had calmed down somewhat for the time being.

The Cetra paused, but then motioned beneath him. Horus looked, and saw that he was seated on something. It looked like some sort of sealed metal case.

"Shalua thinks it might be best if we sent some of them away for analysis." He responded. "We don't have much equipment here, or easy access to other specialists. I'm supposed to load it up with eight of the bowls, including one of the two that we actually know about."

Ragnar pointed out at this, and Horus gave a look. She noticed for the first time that yellow "sticky notes" had been put over the runes on three of the bowls. The one that was gone was lightning. Two of the others were ice and steel. The rest were still runes. She turned back to the Cetra a moment later.

"…Trying to figure out what the others are before you put any in?" She asked.

Ragnar inhaled and exhaled in response, a bit tiredly. "I might know already. That nursery rhyme was in an order, and the position of the three we identified seem to match. It's still assuming a lot, so until they test it I want to be sure." He paused again, and let out another sigh. He stared off into space a moment.

"Something wrong?"

"Yes." Ragnar answered. He turned, and pointed to one of the bowls in the rack in particular. Horus looked to see where it was.

She soon found herself looking at two bowls, actually. However…there was a malfunction. Apparently, one of the stalactites that was positioned over a bowl had broken. The piece of it that had snapped off had splashed into its bowl and flipped it over countless ages ago. However…its fluid was not wasted. It had happened millennia ago, and so sediment had partially reformed it. But rather than position it over the old upturned bowl…it was running down the side and dropping into the one adjacent to it.

"If they are what I think they are, the Moon broke." Ragnar explained. "Now…it's running into the Sun. I've tried to listen, and I've confirmed it. Two different voices are speaking together from that bowl. It got both forces."

Horus paused a moment, but then gave a shrug. "So? We can just not use that one, right?"

Ragnar didn't look back or answer. He stared at the bowl…watching the water collect on both the stalactite and its fragment…getting ready to drop in the same collection area together. His look was emotionless.

"…Yeah." He finally answered, a bit slowly. After another pause, he spoke more regularly. "Anyway, I was hoping to send this stuff with Aerith and the kids, but it looks like they'll be staying. The flight is overbooked." He frowned a bit and shook his head. "I have no idea why tomorrow, out of all the days in the year, the flight decides to have no passenger space, but it does. I was a bit skeptical…but we're sending the samples in. They have cargo room for it. Cloud will pick it up and treat it as just another delivery." He hesitated a moment, then turned to Horus and cracked a smile. "A way to make some money at least."

Horus didn't show anything in response. She continued to stare out at the walls. She held for a moment of silence.

Ragnar saw this, and finally spoke up again. "…Even if we think they're unsafe, we aren't going to destroy them, Horus. They'll still be here when you get back with Malcolm and his brother."

The woman stared out for a bit longer. Her fist tightened and cracked her knuckles. She let out a small sigh.

"…I guess I'll have to take your word for it, because I know I can't fight you back now." She finally stated. "But after what we did to you, I'm still having a hard time believing that you're willing to help us so readily."

"Well, we are." Ragnar answered. "Whether it be sooner or later, we'll find a way to use this to cure your friends."

Horus didn't answer. She continued to stare out for a few moments more. She scratched her head a bit in the end. After that, she turned and began to look to the ladder. She stared up it for a moment, but then grabbed on and started to pull herself upward.

"…I better get going. Night's not a good time for them."

She said no more as she pulled herself up and out. Ragnar let out another breath of air, but then turned and looked back to the bowls. It didn't take long for his eyes to go back to the one bowl and stare at it. He felt fear begin to creep back into him as he stared on.

_I know your element was the sun, master. But Wyvern's element was darkness…_

_If I try to bring you back…will _he _come back instead?_

* * *

_To be continued..._


	6. The Colors of Death

AUTHOR'S NOTE: To keep people from nitpicking me about temporality, I'm warning in advance that many of the breaks in this chapter between characters should be interpretted to be happening more or less simultaneously. The order should present itself.

* * *

Denzel stretched out his arms and gave a yawn. "…I hate getting up this early when it's summer…"

"Well you better get used to it, because you'll have to get up earlier in high school." Cloud answered back. "And if I see your grades slipping again, you can save up and buy your own sword."

The youth dropped his arms and gave something of a frown. He crossed them soon after and looked in front of him as they continued to walk. "I just don't see why I had to come along…"

"You'll probably have to do a lot of things you don't want to do in life." Cloud retorted, a bit sharper this time. "Besides, you two have been complaining about having to babysit for the past two days. You jumped all over the chance to get away from the Refuge last night when I asked if you wanted to pick up this cargo. And don't laugh this off. This is important."

The two teens had to be silent and continue to follow Cloud after that. His giant sword continued to bob up and down along his back. He was telling the truth, really. They had been so eager to get out of having to do chores and child care back home that when Cloud had asked them if they wanted to tag along tomorrow morning when he went to pick up the shipment from the north, they had been all for it. However, now that they were here, both of them realized they hadn't gotten much better off. They had to get up early and there was little to nothing for them to do. The only really exciting thing now was realizing what exactly they were picking up today…

Despite Denzel's comment, it was already 0900. The waiting area in the hanger was already filled with people, some traveling and some on business. Most of the seats in the gates were filled with family members or "rides". This part of the hanger wasn't "technical" or swamped with the inner workings of the airships and crews. It was actually walled off and paneled, decorated with plants and carpeting and other fineries. It was much like any other waiting area for a boat or train. There were neat little halls and monitors telling if the airship was going to be late or early. There were even a few vendors selling coffee and gifts out of the walls.

The area the three were approaching at the moment was baggage claim. This wasn't far from the main entrance. It was a fairly wide-open space, filled with people and stations for getting tickets, renting cars, requesting assistance, or anything else. For a shipment of this size, Cloud had rented a car. It wouldn't fit on Fenrir that easily. Luckily, he got a deal for being a local delivery man and frequent usage. And it was factored into the cost anyway. Although the wide-open area was only on one floor, the ceiling was arched and raised high into the air right over them, allowing a large window fixture to be installed. Currently, morning sunlight was pouring through it.

Right in the center was their destination. Some sort of rectangular conveyor belt with openings below it was running. The baggage was unloaded from the airship, taken to the area underneath this conveyor, and then placed out onto it and circled around. By doing so, many people could gather around and search for their luggage or cargo without making a huge mess. Cloud liked them himself.

The three soon came up to the edge and went to a halt. Once there, Cloud looked up and began to look around the area. He noticed a few other passengers and families, workers, and the occasional security guard, but mostly he looked out to where the "working" portion of the hanger was. The airship had already pulled in just as they arrived. It wouldn't be long now. He flashed his eyes to the time, but then looked back to the conveyor. As he did…he couldn't help but notice how few passengers were there. This puzzled him a bit. Wasn't this flight supposed to be totally booked?

A few minutes later, and an engine suddenly came to life. The conveyor in front of them began to turn around.

Noticing this, Cloud spoke out to the others. "Alright. Keep your eyes out for a big case. Make sure you read the tag before taking it. It's going to Isuzu Industries."

Azure and Denzel answered by looking down and watching as the conveyor went by. The other passengers began to gather around as well, watching as it slowly turned about. No luggage came out for a few minutes more, however. Cloud watched it for a bit longer, but then looked up and began to look around the area again out of boredom. One child was begging his mother for ice cream. A businessman was getting into an argument for missing luggage. A guard was walking to the nearest restroom. As he passed by, another weary-looking traveler stopped long enough to get a drink from the fountain. After that, he went by to the men's room as well, pushing the swinging door open…

_Wait a minute…_

_Did I see the guard go in?_

"Here it comes."

Cloud snapped out of it and looked back down to the conveyor. Luggage was finally coming up and being deposited onto it. After that, it began to slowly round the area. The passengers became more active and looked for which was theirs. One was snatched up a moment later. No sign of any crate yet, however.

The ex-mercenary paused, and then looked up to the restrooms again. Nothing there. No difference. He waited a bit longer…before he saw the man from the fountain walk out. The guard didn't. His eyes narrowed a bit. However, he shook his head and let out an exhale. He turned back to the conveyor, letting his eyes glance over the crowd in the terminal as he did so. He shouldn't think about that. It was nothing. Just a trick of the eyes. And yet…he couldn't help but look up to it again. Almost immediately, he grit his teeth and turned his head away. What was he going to do? Go in the bathroom and kick open every-

As he turned back…Cloud noticed something else that made him snap up and look ahead. A moment ago, he had scanned his eyes over the crowd when he looked back to the bathroom. He could have sworn there was another guard near one of the columns. Yet as he looked back…no one was there.

_…What's going on? Am I imagining things?_

"Looks like some packages are coming out now, dad." Azure announced.

However, Cloud wasn't really paying attention to the luggage conveyor at the moment. Instead, he looked around the area again. His eyes quickly scanned over the crowds. As he did, he looked for certain hats and uniforms. Anyone who was a guard. One…two…three… His eyes scanned all of one side, then turned to the other. Four…five…six… Now he looked behind him. There was one near the entrance/exit to the airships. He quickly looked off of him to scan for more…

When he caught it.

For the briefest moment…he thought he saw something black out of the corner of his eye, right over where the guard was.

He looked back…and thought he saw just the faintest trace of black mist disappear.

And no guard.

In a flash, Cloud whipped his head around to the sides again. He quickly ran his eyes back over where he had seen a moment ago.

There were only three guards left.

Now…Cloud's heart began to feel anxiety.

As the man began to sweat, his gestures were not lost on his adopted sons. Azure was still looking for the crate, but Denzel had picked up on what he was doing. He turned fully to him and began to look concerned.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

Cloud looked away from the one guard who remained on one side and to the two others on the opposite. However…there was only one now. The one that remained was looking confused, and began to radio in on the receiver on her shoulder.

He turned to Denzel a moment later.

"…We need to leave here right now." He spoke in a low, dangerous voice.

Denzel stiffened on what Cloud said as well as how he said it, but nevertheless looked confused. "What's going on?"

"I think I see it!" Azure suddenly called out, not aware of what Cloud and Denzel were doing from his position.

Almost immediately, Cloud began to walk forward. "Let's get it and get out of here." He spoke in an insistant tone.

Denzel and Azure both looked confused at this, but knew enough to know that something was the matter. And if Cloud was in a rush, that meant he didn't have time to explain. Looking around a bit themselves to try and see what was amiss, the two fell in behind their adoptive father and matched his brisk pace as he went along the luggage conveyor.

Cloud spotted the case, but as luck would have it the conveyor was carrying it away from him. Determined to get to it, he picked up his speed. He pushed through a few other passengers along the way, including one that was going to grab another case. He actually turned and yelled at him, but he didn't care. He focused only on the case. Azure and Denzel were forced to tag along and give innocent "I'm sorry" expression as they tried to keep up. However…he finally reached it. He quickly shot out a powerful arm and grabbed the handle. He immediately snapped back and pulled it up. He took half a second to look to the label and confirm it, but then yanked it fully up and turned for the doors…

He was just in time to hear a woman scream in terror…and to see the glass front doors of the terminal be totally obliterated.

A tremendous crash was heard as metal was twisted and warped and flung throughout the main terminal. Pieces of glass were cast about violently like a shrapnel cannonball. Cloud, Azure, and Denzel managed to catch it, and quickly turned their faces away and dove for cover. Even as they did so, Cloud saw the source. A full sized bus was spiraling over itself, tumbling along the roadway, and smashing right into the front of the terminal. Yet he couldn't worry too much about the source initially. He had to cover himself before the bits of glass struck him. Luckily, the glass had been shatter-proof, and had broken into small, dull bits rather than long, thin shards. But that didn't stop people from screaming in terror. Some threw themselves down, while others turned and attempted to run for it…

A moment later, however, and the chaos was over. Sounds of a few trace bits of shrapnel and glass dribbled from the damage and hit the floor, but other than that there was nothing. Cloud himself had his hands over his head and his eyes shut, but he heard the sounds of burning. Apparently, the gas in the bus had been lit aflame. However, he knew that it wasn't like in the movies. It took more than leaking gas on fire to blow up a bus. Yet the sound of it was enough to make him uncover his head, lean up, and look around to what had happened.

The terminal was a mess. The conveyor was still running, carrying bits of debris as well as luggage now, but the passengers had either hit the deck or run for the hills. The only people still there now were ones who had thrown themselves down on the ground. Denzel and Azure themselves were slowly raising their heads up again. The front doors were destroyed, and now the wreckage of the bus, flipped completely on its back, was there instead. Cloud noticed that there was still a fire going on in it. More than that, however…he noticed that there were people still on it.

Seeing this, Cloud forgot about the case. He paused only to turn to his sons. "Are you two alright?"

"I think I'll be washing glass out of my hair for a while…" Denzel grunted as he pushed his body up and ran his hand through his hair.

"I think so." Azure added, far more to the point.

"Then help me out here." Cloud answered. "There's still people on the bus."

The two teens turned and looked to see what Cloud was talking about. They hadn't caught the bus like he had. As for the ex-mercenary himself, he pushed himself up and to his feet. Once there, he quickly went for the vehicle himself. He couldn't tell exactly, but it looked as if the people inside were struggling to open the side door. The back one was caught against the debris of the building. Cloud himself reached behind and yanked out his sword. Knowing how thick and powerful it was, he planned to use it as a pry bar to open up the door himself. Soon he was headed for that, and pointed his sword out to aim for the space between.

However, a split second before his blade could touch it…a curved blade shot out from the side and stopped it.

Cloud's eyes flicked up and to the source. He saw a rather unsettling and wicked-looking female face staring back at him. Her eyes were blood red, and she seemed as pale and voluptuous as a vampire. He risked a look down to his sword for a moment, and saw that she had stopped his weapon with what looked like a sort of curved, swallow-type weapon. Not only that, but the center handle seemed to have some sort of automatic weapon built into it. Cloud immediately deduced that this woman didn't have good intentions in mind.

The ex-mercenary pushed off of his legs and hopped backward a moment later, putting more distance between himself and this new woman. Once clear, he shifted his blade up and aimed at her instead. The woman said nothing…only smiled wider. She calmly began to turn to face him again. Yet as she did so, both Cloud and the young men who had stood up behind him began to see that she wasn't alone.

Some odd man with black hair and clothing was perched on one of the edges of the window fixtures, looking down like some sort of grotesque raptorial bird. Perhaps that was more accurate than fabrication, because he bore a large set of metal wings attached to his back. His look was rather bizarre too, considering the fact that his arms were strapped to his chest, and his face looked almost like it was being restrained to keep him from biting people, rather like in an insane asylum. At any rate…he was looking right at Cloud with ravenous eyes. Seeing that he had an opponent almost directly above him…Cloud began to step back further, moving toward the teens and the case.

_Scree…_

Cloud snapped his head over to a new sound that came out. This one was grinding metal. He turned and looked…and was just in time to see the entire bus _slide_ a precious few inches one way, giving enough room for a giant of a man to squeeze through an opening between him and the fallen vehicle. Not only did he tower over anyone else in the room, his ears were pointed and his eyes cat-like, making him almost look like one of Hoeng's 'manimals'. As soon as he was in, carrying a massive gun that looked more like an anti-tank cannon, he proceeded to calmly extend one arm, grab the side of the bus, and then yank it back over the way he came, once more sealing the way out. After that, he flashed a large grin as he rested his weapon against the ground.

Cloud continued to back up until he was to the teens, and then halted. Azure and Denzel fell in behind him on either side, but didn't go past him. They weren't armed, after all. However, they were now staring out both at what had happened, and the three new arrivals. The black one stayed perched while the woman and the giant moved out on opposite sides of the burning bus, making a sort of odd triangle. Their eyes were all focused on Cloud. They were obviously not friendly.

A moment of silence passed. The people on the ground began to pick themselves up and run away from the new arrivals. The glass continued to fall bit by bit while the fire started to pick up. Cloud started to realize he didn't have time for delays. He had to get to the people. With that in mind, he narrowed his own gaze and tightened his grip.

"…I'm giving you three five seconds to get out of the way between me and the bus, or I'm cutting through each one of you to get to it."

The woman let out a snicker. The giant grinned wider. However, the man who stood over them all looked back calmly for two of the seconds.

"…You're worried about the passengers?" He finally asked…his voice very calm, yet also dark and seeming to almost have a malevolent force on it. But before Cloud could respond to that…the man's wings suddenly sprang out. Some sort of metal arms concealed inside them disengaged and flipped out, revealing clawed limb-like metal structures. There were two of them, almost seeming to act in place of his restrained limbs. Yet the true thing that Cloud noticed was that they had two large automatic pistols in their grips.

Cloud's eyes widened. Immediately, he began to bring his blade in front of him to guard. He began to open his mouth to yell to the others to get down…

When the man swung both of his fists straight below him, aiming right at the bus…and opened fire.

Screaming suddenly peeled out as bullets tore open the bottom of the vehicle. Yellow sparks rained out from overhead as streaks of light shot into the interior. Cloud's grip loosened and his sword lowered, as he and his sons gaped in horror of what was happening. People struggled and flung about madly in the bus for a few moments…before splats of blood painted the windows and they went silent. The guns overhead spread out over the area, firing over the entire vehicle. The others still in the foyer screamed and began to run for it. Yet as they escaped, the last of the screams went silent in the bus. All motion ceased.

Cloud, Denzel, and Azure gaped in shock for a moment longer…before their faces changed. Cloud's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. Azure did much the same as he looked up to the man in black. But Denzel went from shock to rage, balling his hands into fists and clenching his teeth as he looked up to the shooter.

The man pulled his smoking barrels back, flipped them back around, and then retracted his arms once again.

"…The passengers are no longer a problem." He calmly answered.

"You sick bastard!" Denzel yelled out to the man in black from over Cloud's shoulder. The ex-mercenary turned slightly to him, and was about to tell him to be quiet, before the youth yelled out again. "What kind of coward shoots helpless people?"

The woman really snickered at this. "I like this mouthy one…" She spoke out in a thick accent. "Nero…let me feel his blood splash over me…"

The man in black, Nero, didn't appear to notice this. His eyes stayed focused on Cloud the entire time. They hadn't looked away, even when he was firing.

"I normally wouldn't waste time with an ultimatum…but if you hand over the case now, we might only kill you and the adults in this building. I'll consider sparing the children."

Cloud's eyebrows rose for just a moment. So…that was what they were after. He had no idea who these people were or where they had come from…but they had already done enough to make them enemies in his book. Not only that, somehow they knew about the case. He had no idea how that managed to happen either. But the fact that they wanted it couldn't have been good. Cloud knew from Ragnar that the material in the case had already caused lots of strange things already. He didn't like the idea of it in the hands of these people. What more…he wasn't about to let them go free to kill more people.

With that in mind, he kept his gaze narrowed on the man ahead as he spoke out commandingly.

"Azure…take the case."

The teen hesitated a moment, surprised to suddenly be addressed. But he quickly adjusted and gave a nod. Immediately, he turned and bent down to pick it up. Cloud watched the three for a reaction. None happened. Soon Azure was up with it again.

"Denzel…" Cloud spoke up again. As he did, he moved his hand out and to the upper blade of his large sword. He twisted something, and soon after pulled out a smaller blade. As soon as it was out, he brought it behind him and pointed it toward the other teen.

Denzel's anger broke, and for a moment he stared in surprise. He knew what he was doing. Cloud was giving him a piece of his sword. The youth was shocked. Cloud hadn't even gotten him a real sword yet…and now he was giving him one of his own blades. He was astonished…and a surge of pride went through him that his father would give this to him. However, he swallowed it down soon after, and with some hesitation reached out and took the blade from him. His arm faltered a bit from the weight initially, but after tightening his teeth and stretching his muscles a bit, he was able to pull it back up.

"Take the case and get it out of here any way you can." He ordered. "Go _now_."

Azure and Denzel were about to protest…but that last word was a stern command. It was obvious he wasn't arguing. Both of them were rueful about it. They didn't want to leave Cloud to a fight with these three. However, at the same time, both of them had great respect for Cloud's ability. They felt that he could easily take weak opponents without any trouble. With that in mind, they agreed. Hoisting the case as best as he could, Azure turned and began to leave the area. Denzel braced the sword over his shoulder, turned, and ran with him.

"Azul…" Nero called out a moment later. The giant seemed to shift to this. "Catch them, kill them, and return the case."

Still smiling, the hulk turned his full attention to the fleeing teens. With calm movements, he pulled up on his gun and began to walk in their direction.

Cloud saw this, and immediately turned his sword and body toward him…

Only to have the woman suddenly be on him again, smacking his blade down to the ground once again with the end of her own weapon. Cloud showed no surprise, but immediately turned his head up. The woman was right next to him, smiling wickedly, and pinning his blade down lightly under her own.

"_I_ am your opponent, Cloud Strife. If you mean to stop Azul…you will have to kill me first."

Cloud didn't answer. He merely glared back at her for a moment. His face stayed cold, but hers was confident and calm. They were both motionless for a moment…before Cloud attacked.

The ex-mercenary turned fully to the woman and swept his blade up, meaning to slash it out and catch her under the chin. In response, the woman let out an amused laugh, and calmly backflipped, bringing her weapon with her, and letting his sword hit nothing. What surprised Cloud a moment later was that she almost seemed to shoot along the ground a short distance a second later, as she charged at him with one end of her swallow pointed for his stomach. He barely had enough time to realize it was coming and pull his blade back before she was on him. He deflected the hit to the price of having his coat torn.

The woman continued to smile…and immediately dashed forward again, this time slashing for his neck. Cloud's eyes widened a bit, and he quickly retreated and brought up his weapon to block. Still smiling, the woman darted forward again and slashed at his opposite side. Again, he was forced to move fast to block. She did so two more time, each one forcing Cloud to react with a lightning fast move, and nearly panicking and losing his control with each one. Each blow was hard too. He had to focus his power to deflect it.

However, after the fifth strike, the woman seemed to be out of whatever "juice" allowed her to move that quickly. Cloud immediately seized the advantage. For a moment, their blades were locked from their last clash. Then, the ex-mercenary grit his teeth and shoved down, twisting the swallow out of the way. He did so in such a way that the opposite blade wasn't in a good place to counter, and then pulled his blade back and slashed out for the woman's legs. She kept smiling wickedly as she leapt over it nimbly. Yet Cloud's own combination wasn't done. He quickly advanced on her as he brought his blade back, bringing it up and around and swinging it down in a vertical chop for her head. The woman kept smiling as she sidestepped, allowing his sword to slash past and cut into the ground. She attempted to bring her swallow around to counter at this point, but before she could Cloud reacted with his own speed and slashed his sword up and to the side. The woman was forced to break off her strike and flip backward as he cross slashed out for her.

Not willing to lose his offensive advantage, Cloud immediately rushed after the woman. She seemed to pick up on this, and flipped back two more times to get more distance between the two of them. The effort didn't appear to tire her out in the least. Once she was far enough away, she immediately raised her weapon, aimed the middle at Cloud, and opened fire with the automatic gun. Luckily, her gunnery skills seemed to not be as efficient as those with her blades. Cloud quickly swiveled his own sword to aim the broadside out, and then swung it in front of him as he continued to charge to intercept the wave of bullets. He soon closed the distance, and the woman answered by cutting off her gunfire and grasping her handle again, this time swinging the end of her blade out for Cloud's head again as he approached.

However, the man reacted just as quickly, swinging his blade out back into a deadly position and slamming into her slash, intercepting it and forcing it back. He soon twisted around and aimed his own slash for her legs. Unfortunately, the swallow was ideally suited to blocking these type of "one-two" strikes, and the woman intercepted it easily. However, Cloud wasn't done there. As soon as the blade locked, he put in even more force. Soon, he was twisting the swallow in the woman's grasp, intending to wrench it to one side and break her grip.

Yet as he began to push the swallow around and back up again, the woman abruptly removed her hand, untwisted her wrist, and grasped the staff again. It happened so quickly that Cloud wasn't able to seize the disadvantage in strength, and soon she was opposing his twist. The two locked blades again, this time the woman had the upper hand on Cloud. Seeing this, he didn't wait for her to gain another advantage. He quickly pressed inward, closing the distance between the two and pushing his blade up against hers. The two bodies neared and entered into a clash.

By now, Cloud was letting out a little sweat and clenching his teeth. He looked up and to the woman, and saw that she too had a bit of moisture on her brow, but other than that looked positively livid and energetic.

"Yes!" She exclaimed in his face, her hot breath blasting over it. "This is a fitting battle! A true challenge! Killing you will make me feel more alive than I have ever felt before!"

* * *

"Look out for a fire escape, an exit sign…"

"I'm looking, I'm looking…"

Denzel and Azure could still hear the clashing of swords, but didn't focus on that now. They were moving as far away from the main chaos as they could. Although neither of them liked the idea of running away, they also weren't going to disobey Cloud either. Still, neither of them felt too comfortable hearing the sounds of the violence behind them…

"Wait a minute…there!"

Azure, still hefting the case, which was considerably heavy, turned and looked to where Denzel was indicating. What he saw was a line of people cramming out through a metal door in the side of the hallway. Sure enough, there was an "Exit" written above it.

Without another word, the two began to make for it. The people continued to cram through, most of them panicking now, making hysterical noises and others sounds of fear. However, there were only two of them left by the time the teens started to draw near. They'd be through by the time they reached it…

Yet moments before Denzel could get to the doorway…a huge blast rocked the air. An explosion suddenly made him and Azure freeze, as a deafening noise ripped into their eardrums. Their clothing rippled as a blinding streak shot through the air, and impacted against the ceiling right above the doorway a second later. The moment it hit, a much larger, more powerful explosion went off, and the force of the blast and the debris erupting sent both boys flying back and smacking onto the ground. Denzel himself felt pieces of plaster and metal blast against his body before he smashed against the carpeted ground, sliding back from the force after landing.

The booming echo from the explosion rocked through the air, and the dust and remains of what had been blasted apart rained down around the vicinity. However, Denzel and Azure themselves hadn't been flung back that hard. Denzel felt aches and pains on some of his bones and skin from where debris had hit him, and he felt that he might have been scraped or cut in a place or two, but other than that he was alright. He slowly became conscious of where he was. He was on his back, but the sword was still nearby. In the chaos he had let it go, but it had landed right on top of him. Immediately, his hands went out and grabbed the handle. He forced his eyes open, although there was still a cloud of dust in the area and it made his vision sting. However, he managed to focus after a moment, while simultaneously forcing his sore body up into a seated position.

Azure gave out a grunt nearby as he did much the same. He quickly began to get to his feet as well, dragging the case behind him. Denzel took a moment to look in front of them, and saw the bad news. Whatever had blasted had caused a deluge of building material to bury the exit in front of them. Some parts were just wires and insulation, but much of it was also brick and steel pieces. It might be possible to dig through, but not in just a few seconds. Seeing this, Denzel quickly grit his teeth, rolled himself forward, and forced his body back onto his feet. Once both were up, the two teens turned behind them to see who had stopped them.

Denzel knew that bigger didn't necessarily mean better…but that didn't change the fact that he felt himself sweat on seeing which one out of the three was coming up behind them.

Hoisting his industrial-piston-sized gun like it was a tote bag, the giant that he had overheard being named Azul flashed his teeth at them as he slowly approached.

"I didn't go to all the trouble of waiting for that bus to pass in front of the terminal and shoot it so that it would block the front doors just to see you take a side exit."

Denzel didn't answer. He shifted his blade around and aimed it at Azul…although it looked rather like a knife compared to the size of him. To be honest, it didn't look like either of them, together or separate, could beat this monster. He had never even gone against a regular opponent, let alone a guy like this. However, seeing as he was the only one with a weapon, and Cloud was counting on him and Azure…he realized he had to stand his ground. Besides…this monster had killed innocent people just to block the way into terminal. The cockiness within Denzel wanted to prove himself and make him pay for it.

"Go on, Azure." Denzel called to his side as he kept his blade aimed at him. "I'll hold him back."

Azul actually let out a snicker at that. Azure turned to him anxiously.

"Are you crazy? You can't take this guy alone!"

"I'm the only one with a sword!" Denzel yelled back. "He wanted us to get the case out of here, so get it out of here!"

"I'm not leaving!"

"How touching…" Azul sneered. With that, he raised his massive weapon again, and without another word or indication…turned it straight at Azure and fired.

Denzel's eyes widened, but it was too late. Thunder shook the room as a massive bolt ripped out from the gun and smashed into the case that Azure was holding. Instantly, he was ripped off of his feet and flung down the hallway of the terminal, all the way to the gate before his body was smashed violently against the back wall. Denzel turned and looked in horror, but was unable to do anything to stop it. All he was able to do was watch as blood trickled from Azure's mouth and smoke trailed from his case, before both he and the article peeled off of the wrecked wall and slammed against the ground.

"Azure!" Denzel cried.

There was no immediate movement. Even if there was, he was now a hundred feet away from Denzel and in a heap. He couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

Fear flooded Denzel's expression for the briefest moment, before his eyes narrowed and his teeth grit in fury. Immediately, he wheeled back around to the giant, whose massive weapon was still smoking from the first blast. His face turned red as he glared hatefully at the monster. His grip on his weapon tightened.

Noticing this, Azul cracked one side of his lips.

"He should feel privileged that I actually wasted a bullet on him."

"You son of a bitch." Denzel swore. "You're going to pay for that."

Now Azul really did laugh. He actually leaned back a bit and stretched to his full height to let out a rather loud chuckle.

"Oh, I am, am I?" He asked after he was done. "Well…this should be nice for a change. Normally I wouldn't waste the effort on a bratty kid…but since you're so eager…" He lowered his head after this and narrowed his pupils.

"…Challenge accepted."

Denzel didn't answer. He merely tensed his muscles and prepared to fight.

Much to his surprise, Azul didn't aim for him next. Instead, he calmly brought his gun back, twisted it upright, and then set it against the ground. After doing so, he held out one of his gloved hands and made a beckoning motion.

"Come, boy. I'll even let you have the first blow free."

The youth hesitated a moment at this, a bit surprised at the offer. But after gazing at him a moment, and seeing that the giant was serious, he tensed up again. No doubt, he thought he was just some twerp with no training or extra power. He'd show him. Although he knew that Cloud warned him to fight nonlethally if he could, Denzel ignored that advice. Instead, he took aim for the man's stomach. Bracing himself for a proper lunge, he gave out a cry and then barreled forward. Azul crossed his arms without batting an eye, seeming to be amused at the entire incident. Denzel didn't care. He zeroed in on his gut, closed the remaining distance, and then lunged forward at the last moment and drove his sword at it.

Almost immediately, a translucent set of polygons appeared just inches away from Azul's stomach, and Denzel's sword was halted. More than that…it felt like he had just tried to drive a pole through solid steel. A painful jolt rippled through his system. Giving a mild cry of pain, he reared back and looked forward. The polygons knit together, forming a surface right in front of the giant. They held for a moment, but then faded away, leaving the giant standing there simply. He hadn't moved a muscle.

Denzel stared back at him a moment later, but then clenched his teeth and swung again. Once more…he got a hard jolt from hitting something solid. The polygons appeared again, in a slightly different position this time, as he swiped his blade at Azul's side. Again, he was halted.

The giant grinned and let out a chuckle. "What's the matter, boy? I thought you were going to 'make me pay'?"

Denzel glared up at him in fury for a moment, enraged at the insult. Then, he immediately took off in a furious chain of stabbing. Yet for all his efforts, all he managed to do was dull Cloud's sword somewhat and tire his arms out. Every time he tried to stab him or do anything to him, that barrier appeared. It looked almost like some sort of barrier spell…or like the shield that had been around the Dome when the PPA had attacked it years ago. At any rate, it worked far better than a barrier spell. It stopped him completely. Soon, Denzel was sweating and growing tired. His face turned red as he continued to hack, refusing to give into it, but for all his effort he gained nothing. Azul's smiling face glared down at him without change.

Finally, the youth could do no more. He was wearing himself out too much. He wanted to keep stabbing, but as much as he wanted to he couldn't move any further. He suddenly stopped and slumped downward, letting the tip of his sword hit the ground. He dripped sweat onto the carpet and panted as he looked up to the giant.

Azul cracked his grin again. "Seems you're getting the idea, brat. Before being foolish enough to challenge one of the Tsviets with such idle boasting and pathetic abilities, you should know fully what you're getting into. I have the most advanced overshield prototype known to mankind. A tank shell couldn't hurt me, much less your pathetic little piece of tin in your skinny arms."

At last, the giant began to uncross his arms.

"Now then…if you're through with your meaningless little assault…I'll demonstrate to you a _true_ blow."

Denzel was barely able to gape before Azul's boot raised and sailed for his head.

* * *

Cloud was keeping up the offensive now. The woman's weapon had a long reach, so she could afford to stay far from his blade. Therefore, he kept advancing on her and slashing in at different angles, forcing her to keep moving to block against his assault. At current, he was forcing her back into the same bus that her companions had blasted through the terminal entrance. Even as he battled…he couldn't help but glance up to the one overlooking all of this. Why hadn't he made a move yet?

The ex-mercenary had almost pushed her up against the vehicle. Once there, she'd run out of room and he'd give a disabling blow. However, just as he was about to reach the critical point, and he shifted his blade into a thrust in order to force her back to the rest of the way…the woman reacted by yanking her swallow blade up and orientating the curved blade to direct it toward the bus itself. A moment later, and Cloud stabbed forward…but she didn't just deflect the blow this time. To his surprise, she redirected it so that it ran off of her blade and pierced the side of the bus, sticking his weapon in it momentarily.

Flashing another grin, the woman quickly took advantage of his momentary pinning to sidestep and move behind him. Now, she was the one who had him pinned against the bus. She pulled her swallow up and arched back, and prepared to slice it across Cloud's spine. The ex-mercenary saw this coming, however. He launched an unorthodox move just as she slashed her blade out to attack him. Abruptly, he choked up on his sword, threw himself forward, and proceeded to brace himself along his weapon and run up alongside the bus. The swallow hit nothing, and the woman registered some surprise. As for Cloud, he waited until his feet were at the same level as his sword…and then leapt back, pushing off from the bus. In one fluid movement, his body lunged away from the bus and back toward the woman, ripping out his blade from the metal as he did so, and spun around to deliver a powerful overhead slash as he came down.

Obviously not standing her ground for that…the woman quickly backflipped just as Cloud's massive blade knocked a huge slash into the ground below. He crouched down a moment later from the impact, but immediately got up to move in and attack again. The woman didn't wait for that, however. She quickly flipped back once again, and then began to run backward. Cloud had to compliment her speed. She seemed to be pretty good at doing so. At any rate, he quickly began to dash after her, sword at the ready once more.

The woman didn't bring out her machine gun again. Instead, she swung her blade at him although he was far out of range. Cloud immediately noticed something breaking off of it. It seemed the main curved blades had thinner ones attached to it, and soon one had broken off and begun to swirl like some sort of boomerang. It cut a curved arc through the air, slicing through any support or light that got in its way, but then sailed down for the approaching Cloud. The ex-mercenary answered back by bracing himself and swinging his blade down at it as it came by, smacking it out of the air and sending it to the ground. The woman didn't stop, but as she continued to run flung more at him. He quickly knocked these out of the air as well as he approached, intent on his goal.

After a few moments, he had reached her. She flung one last blade at him as he closed the last few steps. This one he almost immediately smacked upward, sending it flying straight into a light. As it impacted and sent a shower of glass down on the two of them, the woman attempted to use the screen to stop him. She still had a length advantage, and she used it as she struck out with her swallow in a stabbing motion. However, Cloud didn't get distracted. He immediately spun out of the way to one side, and let the blade sail past harmlessly while spinning out with a slash toward the woman's shoulder. She was taken off guard by his speed once again, and only barely managed to bring her own weapon back to intercept in time. Yet now, Cloud really brought his power to bear. He immediately advanced on her with a series of powerful overhead slashes. The woman, visibly sweating and growing tired, began to back up as she struggled to stave off his assault. However, she couldn't bring her full force back into it. Each blow was off balance and weak. And it only got worse as the ex-mercenary continued to press himself in.

Finally, Cloud leapt back and set up for one of his finishing moves. A moment later, and he lunged forward with his sword outstretched and aimed straight for the woman's heart. Her eyes widened again, realizing that the blow would kill her if she didn't stop it, and in her haste made a panic gesture. She brought her swallow around and over, and deflected Cloud's blade to the ground with the middle handle rather than either of the sword blades.

That was what Cloud was waiting for. Immediately, he focused his strength and ripped upward with his full force. Although the blade wasn't close enough to slash the woman…it did cut right through the center of her weapon. A moment later, and the swallow was torn into two halves. Bullets and gun machinery poured out over the ground as her one weapon became two blades.

The woman was astonished at what had happened, but Cloud wasn't done. No sooner had his sword ripped up than it came back down again, this time over her head. Gritting her teeth in fury, the woman crossed her blades overhead and managed to catch it. Immediately, Cloud ripped his blade back off and stabbed for her stomach. She reacted by quickly bringing her swords back and crossing them again, deflecting him once more. However, she was clearly even more off guard with two swords instead of her traditional swallow. In desperation and anger, she ripped one of her blades off of his sword and slashed out for his face. Yet he was still calm, and was able to bring his blade back and up to deflect it. Teeth still grit in fury, the woman stabbed out with her other sword. Cloud took a step back and avoided it. Another slash came at his legs from the first blade, but he stopped that one as well.

Giving out a yell of anger, the woman brought both blades up and overhead, and then swung both down in an overhead swipe. Cloud quickly braced his legs and brought his sword upward. She was strong, but even with her full power put into it, he was able to stop her with his own strength and thick blade. He held for the briefest moment, letting her put her full strength into the slash, but still holding her back. Then, once he was sure she had fully stalled herself by blowing her strength on that move, he yanked his sword back and shoved the tip forward, proceeding to give the woman a deep stabbing wound in one of her legs.

"Agh!"

A sharp biting yell came out from the woman as she faltered. Blood began to flow freely from the wound. Its strength failed, and she nearly dropped to one knee. Yet even then, her blood red eyes focused on pain for only a moment before glaring at Cloud hatefully. Immediately, she sliced out vainly again, going for his middle with both swords. Cloud braced himself and glared coldly back. With one block he deflected one sword, and then slashed his weapon to the side to knock the other weapon away. That left her wide open…and he was free to drive his now-bloody blade forward and put it through her bicep of one arm, tearing through the flesh all the way to the other side.

"Ahh!"

The woman cried out again as her strength failed, and her other weapon fell to the ground. Even then, hunched over with one arm useless, she still wouldn't quit. She gnashed her teeth in rage and stabbed out with her other sword. This one Cloud merely focused his power on and then swung his blade at full force. After giving the woman a nasty sting in the wrist, he smacked the weapon away and across the room. After that, he raised a foot and gave her a solid blow to the face. She let out another brief noise of pain before her body was kicked back and flattened against the ground.

She held only a moment before her head snapped back up, filled with fury and anger. Blood was now coming forth from her nostrils. Her eyes were still filled with rage…but she froze none the less. Cloud had come upon her now, and had placed his sword tip at her throat. His eyes looked coldly down and held firm.

She nearly spat at him.

"I'll rip your heart out for this!"

"For now, I'd be more concerned as to whether or not I broke your femoral or brachial arteries with my stab." He flatly answered.

The woman's lips covered her teeth again, but she looked no less angry. She looked down to the blade, and then back up to Cloud.

"…If you value your life…finish me now."

Cloud glared back a moment, staying silent in response. However, he eventually answered calmly.

"You're beaten. There's no reason for it."

The woman's eyes widened. Yet it wasn't surprise at Cloud's act of mercy. It seemed to actually be disgust and shock. The fact that he would actually not finish the job that he had started seemed ridiculous to the woman. She was nearly aghast. Cloud stared back at her and noticed this change. However, he thought nothing of it. He had no idea who this crazy woman was, but she clearly needed to learn a lot about the value of life. She needed to be locked up in the nearest mental ward. At any rate, he wasn't about to kill someone on their back who was unable to fight. He kept his sword at her throat, but shifted his eyes up to Nero next.

"Unless you have any reason to think you or your giant can do any better, I'd give up now. Or maybe you'd at least like to tell me what you're doing here."

The man's eyes glared back at him darkly. He stayed motionless for a few moments. In the end, however, his voice came out long and dark.

"…You're a fool, Cloud Strife. It's small wonder you were never a SOLDIER. You're far too soft. A fight against a Tsviet is never over unless one opponent or the other is dead."

Cloud glared back at this for a moment…but also felt uneasy. It sounded like there was something else in that comment…

Almost immediately after, he caught a flash in the corner of his eye.

His mouth opened, and he immediately turned back to the source, back down to the woman…

But he was too late. He was just in time to see the woman's good arm finish flinging itself at him…and a shard of glass from the light overhead imbedded itself in his stomach.

Cloud's eyes immediately went wide. Stabbing pain flooded through his system. His breath caught. For a moment, he managed to hold his ground, keep his hands on his blade. However…blood soon began to flow from the wound. The pain continued to flood through him, starting to overwhelm him, leech at his strength… His legs began to shake as his grip weakened…

On the ground, the woman smiled like the devil.

"Idiot. Only the weak and the dead believe in obsolete notions of mercy."

If Cloud had wanted to answer, he couldn't. His sword began to slip from his grasp as his legs weakened, and he began to spill back to the ground himself.

* * *

Azure believed he let out a groan. He couldn't tell for sure. His chest felt like it was on fire, as if a battering ram had just been smashed into it. He didn't think anything was broken, but at the moment he was in so much pain he couldn't tell. He let out a cough, during which his lungs seemed to "unstick", and another wad of blood came out with it. His entire body felt rather rigid and sore, and any movement was agonizing. Unfortunately for the teen, he had already seen enough physical pain in his lifetime to realize that if he hadn't been "born different", that shot would have killed him.

As it was, he slowly began to crack his eyes open. His vision wasn't that blurry and rapidly cleared, but his mind was sluggish. He detected that he was sprawled out face first on the ground. He turned his head up just at the last moment. A bit of blood was still out of the corner of his mouth, but he thought it was drying up.

Far ahead, he saw his brother stabbing away furiously at Azul. At least, that was what it looked like. Looking at distant things hurt at the moment. Giving another grunt, and this time sure he had done it, he began to flex his fingers. Everything still felt stiff, and only slowly limbering up again. But his limbs were starting to get more life in them. He could rise soon…

Yet as he realized this…something moved in front of his vision.

At first, he thought it was just a ripple of some sort. Something in his eye. He saw what looked like a small ripple on reality, where his eyes didn't focus. He blinked a few times in response, but it didn't improve. It didn't shift either, however. Frowning a bit, he managed to get enough of his bearings to raise his hand and wipe his eyes a little. However, nothing changed. The ripple remained there. He stared at it for a bit longer, thinking something had gone wrong with his eyes.

That was when the ripple _moved._

The teen's eyes immediately flew open the rest of the way in surprise. By move, it didn't mean that he had turned his head and it had gone with it. The ripple had moved on its own. In fact…it almost seemed to have translucent limbs and legs that shifted and walked. And it was moving toward the case…

_The case…_

Azure lifted his head slightly at that, wondering if he had lost it. He had lost his senses for a moment, and had no idea how much time had past. But he did remember the giant had shot it. It had taken a lot of force, sparing his own life… He looked to the side, and wondered if he'd see it totally ruined.

To his surprise, when he looked over to see it, he saw that it was lying on its side but still intact. Only the top of it was smoking, where a shallow indentation from Azul's gun had impacted it. Other than that, it looked fine. Yet before he could think about getting up, much less getting it, he saw the blur of reality approach it.

When it came to its side, it stopped.

"…I'm somewhat intrigued that you actually survived Azul's gun." A young, emotionless, female voice seemed to speak from the direction of the blur. "But if you wish to live through today, I suggest you act as though it killed you."

Azure blinked in response, and immediately looked up higher, lifting his shoulders and head higher above the ground. Now, he found himself looking over the blur quite distinctly…and further noticing that it was humanoid shaped. The blur shifted again, seeming to move one of its limbs over the other's wrist. A clicking sound resulted.

The youth was amazed at what happened next. Like colors filling in the outline of a person, shades and shapes seemed to fill the translucent form that was before him. A black and blue uniform was revealed, combat ready and glowing along lines. Rods with some sort of power cords attached appeared on the back of it. A high protective collar formed around a neck before a very young face formed over it, with a set of somewhat messy brown hair splaying out around it. Eyes formed in the sockets, blue and intense…the look of mako.

Azure couldn't help but stare for a moment. It was a girl. She couldn't be older than ten. But she was dressed just like the rest of them. He wasn't sure how to respond for a moment…

However, the girl didn't stay put long. After giving him one look, she turned and fully faced the case. She hesitated only a moment before she walked out to it, and then leaned over and grasped one of the handles. She immediately straightened up and pulled it with her. Despite her small frame, she easily lifted it off of the ground with just the one hand. Keeping her back to Azure, she began to walk away from him…

The youth hesitated a moment longer, but then told himself to snap out of it. Even if this was a girl, even if she hadn't tried to kill him on the onset, and even if she had turned invisible, he couldn't just let her go. Although he wasn't quite limber enough yet, he scrambled forward and forced himself onto his feet. A moment later, and he half-dashed, half-lunged for the case. The girl didn't even seem to notice him as his hand went down and clasped around the handle on the opposite side.

A second later…and Azure's eyes widened as he let it go and snapped back as quickly as he could. It was a good thing his reflexes were heightened…or else he might have been dead otherwise. The girl hadn't reacted until the moment he grasped the case. Then, in one fluid gesture, her free arm snapped behind her, grabbed one of the rods that was holstered to her back, spun around, and nearly swung out and smashed it against him. Azure, in panic, released and leapt back from it. The rod itself wouldn't have done much damage…but it hadn't stayed a rod once it was drawn. Instead, some sort of power source made it ignite with light, and it immediately gleamed like a blade of energy with a bright orange color. He wasn't sure if it really was enough energy to cut through someone, but he hadn't wanted to find out.

At any rate, he was up now and recoiled, his hands raising defensively in front of him. The girl, on her part, had stopped and wheeled around to him. One hand held the case, while the other remained in the position it had taken after swinging at the youth. She held for a moment longer, glaring at him emotionlessly, before she relaxed and let the weapon come down to her side.

"…Do not think that simply because I appear to be lacking in terms of physical strength that I am any less dangerous than the rest of the Tsviets." She stated simply. "I've done you a favor in not killing you. You should flee with your life."

Azure hesitated a moment. It was actually weird, hearing the girl talking like this. She sounded just like a regular girl…but she was so cold…so heartless-sounding… It was unsettling…even a bit scary. She seemed to be different from the other three, however. She seemed to be merely emotionless…not malicious. And so, he indulged his curiosity for a moment.

"…Who are you?"

"My title is completely irrelevant to the situation or toward your survival." The girl simply answered. With that, the light in her rod died. She seemed to have powered it down or something. It returned to being a normal piece of metal. Once it was done, she turned away and calmly reached behind her to insert it back into her holster. She began to walk again.

Azure blinked a moment, but then shook his head. What was with him? He couldn't just let her go like this. And now wasn't a time for small talk. He stepped after her again, but didn't reach out to seize the case this time.

"Whoever you are, I'm not letting you leave with that."

"You have little choice." The girl simply responded, not turning. "You're unarmed."

Azure hesitated a moment on hearing this. He swallowed slightly. He didn't like having to do this. It reminded him too much of who he was cloned from… However, the fact of the matter was that it was a good weapon. Ragnar had told him countless times that it was a "good" blade, one crafted by powerful espers for righteous causes. Besides, it was just a tool. It was the hand of who used it, for good or evil, that determined what was attached to it.

With that in mind, he inhaled deeply before extending an arm. Two fingers were extended, and he traced them across the air.

The girl soon stopped as she heard a sound of metal sharpening metal behind her. Her head slowly turned around, and as she watched Azure drew his line across the air. As he did…a long, curved, metal blade came up from behind it. He traced a considerable distance, going about six feet in length with it, before a handle began to appear on the end. Once he had finished "drawing" that, his hand went out and seized the weapon. It seemed to be suspended in midair for a moment, but then fell down into his grasp. He reached out and seized the handle with his other hand, and then proceeded to shift into a ready position, with the blade up against his shoulder prepared for a thrust.

The Masamune had been recovered following the final battle with Sephiroth. Azure, possessing so many of Sephiroth's traits, found out soon after that he was ideally suited toward using the blade. It almost seemed as if he was accustomed to it. Perhaps some of that was from Sephiroth using his body and developing mental connections in his brain. Whatever the reason, however, Azure had a connection to it just as Ragnar had a connection to his own sword. And like Ragnar, Azure was capable of some innate magical ability regarding it. Normally he kept the weapon buried in a deep basement underneath bricks and rocks in Edge. But at a time like this…he could bring it out.

The girl stared at him in this position a little longer. She was still and showed nothing facially. In the end…her reaction took the form of releasing her grip. The case fell to the ground and remained there. After doing so, she turned her body fully toward Azure. Her hands crossed and reached behind her back and grasped her rods. She pulled them out and in front of her a moment later. They immediately ignited with an orange glow as did their power cords…but they weren't alone. A bit to Azure's unsettlement and surprise…her eyes lit up with the same electric glow.

"…Have it your way."

What happened next seemed like a nightmare.

In a flash…the girl was on him, stabbing out with her sabers. Only due mostly to a panic move did Azure swing his sword around and down to deflect the weapons down and away. Yet the moment he collided his own blade with hers and sent out an electrical whine from the result…the girl seemed to shoot away from him as if she was on skates…only to shoot back with an arc and come for his side. He was so surprised by the move that he was almost too stunned to bring his blade around. Even then, he could only hold it up as the girl gave two very fast and powerful slashes at him. Each blow was strong, shaking the grip he barely maintained on his weapon.

The youth blinked in astonishment at the speed and power, but somehow managed to retort by swinging his blade out at her body. Again, to his total surprise, the girl revealed her speed and might by shooting backward (avoiding the hit), and then seeming to almost teleport through the air as she leapt into it, around Azure, and touched against the back wall he had smashed into. She barely stayed there for a fraction of a second before she shot off of it again, shooting past Azure like a living bullet…and landing behind him.

The boy's eyes widened, and he quickly spun around to counter her. He swung out as he did so, hoping to catch this girl off guard…although now he began to wonder if she was more like a girl who had been possessed by some demon. The Masamune did come around…but only to connect with one of her sabers, which she had more than ample time to put up in a block. Glaring at him with her glowing, soulless eyes…she immediately darted inward, struck out one of her rods, and smashed it right into Azure's forehead…

The youth only had a split second to be thankful that the rods only carried heat and an extremely painful charge in them as it bashed him in the head, ripping him backward and nearly off of his feet, and didn't just simply cut through his skull. That was before he went senseless from the pain and staggered backward. Even as he did so…the girl shot around again. His vision had gone into a swirl and he couldn't see her move, and as a result he wasn't able to prepare himself when she reappeared behind him and swung her booted foot for his lower back. Azure gave out a cry as he arched around it. His vision was still black, and now his eyes were slamming shut from the pain he was in. As such, he couldn't react as the girl shot back around, reappeared in front of him, and smashed him in the head twice…once with one rod, and once with the other. His head and neck went snapping violently either way, and his body seemed to lose all of its bearings and control.

The girl came to a halt here, and let her rod go to her sides after giving Azure this beating. She watched as the stunned youth staggered on his feet before slumping down to his knees. One hand stayed on his sword and went to his side, while his other went out and stopped him from collapsing completely. His head, now bruised, bleeding, and beaten, slumped down, and he panted from the beating that he had received. The girl stared back emotionlessly at him as he struggled to catch his breath.

"I warned you of the consequences." She simply stated. "To be honest, I'm surprised that I haven't killed you y-"

Now…it was the girl's turn to have her eyes widen, and to shoot back in shock. Even so…she was too late.

One moment, Azure looked beaten and done for. In the next, he had suddenly shot up and to life. He was tired and dizzy…but he did have enough power for one quick, focused move. As he got up and lunged toward the girl, he raised up the Masamune and thrust it out for her. She saw it and tried to dodge, but the reach was too far. The end of the sword still went out and got to her. She barely managed to twist her body to one side before the sword contacted her uniform.

_Slit._

The emotionless face of the girl was broken. Her mouth opened as she registered the slightest indication of pain. It shut soon after, but her eyes now had the slightest look of surprise in them as her head turned down and looked to her side.

The uniform had been torn. A small cut was along the side of her abdomen…letting out a thin trickle of blood.

The girl stared blankly at it.

"…You actually hurt me."

She stared up a moment later. As she did, a clatter of metal rang out as the strength of the youth faded again. Azure let the Masamune topple out of his grasp and hit the floor. After that, his hand slumped to his side. It touched the ground and braced him as well. He panted again from his sudden attack. Yet even then, after a moment more, he began to push up. He forced himself to get his other leg down beneath him. He was beginning to stand.

The girl saw this…and her grip on her weapons tightened.

What happened next defied the laws of physics.

Not one…not two…not three…but _eight_ different girls, each one appearing to be made of pure energy, were suddenly surrounding Azure. Each one drove their electronic weapons forward and smashed them deep into his already beaten body, striking him with incredible power from eight different angles at once. The youth didn't even have time to cry out in pain. His head arched back instead, and his eyes bulged in shock at the sudden power that had moved in and beaten him. It lasted only a fraction of a second. It was possible for someone to blink and miss how fast the girl had moved. But at the end of it…the girl reappeared, looking just as she had before, right in front of Azure's body, twisted and curled in agony as inertia held it in the air a moment longer.

Only then did Azure let out a loud exhale…and then let his eyelids fall again. This time, his body wasn't recovering. He collapsed to the ground and fell into a heap. He didn't rise again.

The lights in the girl's eyes finally died down. Her rods followed them, and she proceeded to flip them over and back into her holsters. That done, she began to move back to the case again with a slow walk. She soon reached it, bent down, and took it up by one handle again. Yet this time, her eyes stayed focused on the fallen Azure throughout. She seemed to almost be scrutinizing him…studying him.

"…I could kill you." She finally stated. "But you aren't my mission. Getting this case back to our command center is. So it seems we may have a chance to see each other again one day, although I doubt it."

"…And what is so important that you and your associates would want that case?"

In response, the girl immediately snapped her head up and to the side. But before she could fully move her hand to her holster…three cold barrels were pressed against her head. Three different bullets clicked at once. The girl moved no further. Instead, her eyes went along the barrel of the strange gun that was now pointed at her and traced it to its source…a black gloved hand attached to a body dressed in red and black. The gun's owner looked out from behind a thick collar and long, black hair that splayed over his head from behind a red bandanna. His own eyes gleamed blood red.

"…Vincent Valentine." The girl spoke aloud, recognizing him immediately.

* * *

"So, brat…which do you prefer?" Azul asked with a sneer.

Denzel didn't answer. Blood was coming from his nose and mouth. One of his teeth had been knocked out. He was sprawled on his back before the giant, the sword limp in his grasp. It wasn't likely that he could answer, but Azul pressed none the less with a wicked smile as he stomped toward him.

"Would you prefer I let you die like a human…and pick you up and punch your head off?" He sneered. "Or would you like to die like an insect, and have me just crush your puny body beneath my own weight?"

Denzel didn't answer, but it didn't seem like Azul cared for one. Instead, he began to pick his foot up off the ground…

When he caught a motion out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated, and then turned his head to the source. He soon found himself looking far down the hallway, back toward where Shelke was retrieving the case. A moment ago, he had caught a glimpse of her beating the other boy down. Yet now she appeared to be caught again. A new target was there, aiming his gun at her head. He recognized it as another one of their major potential threat targets: Vincent Valentine.

The giant let out a deep-throated growl. Useless girl. Even after all of her combat training and enhancement, she was still not anywhere near the rest of them. And she had burned out some of her power striking that boy down with her eight strike combination. She couldn't keep fighting for much longer before she needed another mako infusion.

With that in mind, he forgot about his own "opponent" for the moment. Instead, he stepped back and away from him and over to where he had left his gun sitting on the ground. Shelke seemed to be stalling the man for the time being, which was at least one smart thing in her favor. A moment later, he had his gun in his hand, and twisted it around to aim at the man. He zeroed in on his body and pressed the trigger.

Unfortunately…it took about half of a second for his weapon to fully charge. It was due to hesitation that he had hit the kid before. This one wasn't so dumb. His eyes flickered ever so slightly to one side, catching the move…before he leapt out of the way as fast as he could. The massive shot erupted from Azul's cannon-like gun a moment later, sailed past where he had been, and then obliterated the wall behind him in a flash of fire and smoke.

Shelke didn't waste any time, however. The moment Vincent broke off, she quickly reached her hand to her wrist and activated her invisibility shield. As she vanished into reality, she quickly reached down and snatched up the case as well. The power of her shield extended over it, and soon it began to disappear as well. By the time the dark gunner had recovered enough to reaim his weapon…she had vanished along with their item. Azul cracked a smile as he saw a ripple go for the next nearest exit, now clear of other bystanders.

The man saw that she was gone…and so he turned to Azul next. The giant merely snorted as he opened fire, allowing his shield to intercept every bullet. White polygons lit up all over his body. As for him, he instead turned his head toward the exit. He waited until he saw the ripple of Shelke move into it and vanish. After a few seconds more, he hoisted his gun and fired again. Another eruption later, and the ceiling collapsed over this exit as well. There was no way to follow her.

With this in mind, and growing irritated with Vincent's attempts to shoot him, Azul raised his wrist to his mouth, exposing a small communication device, and spoke into it.

"This is Azul the Cerulean. Target acquired."

* * *

Cloud's palm bled as he grasped the shard with all of the power he could focus through the pain. His teeth grit as his brow broke into sweat from the agony. But a moment later…and he managed to yank it free from his body. Immediately, his hand threw the glass away and gripped the wound in his stomach.

The ex-mercenary had managed to stop himself from falling completely on his back, but he wasn't in a good spot. The woman hadn't just thrown that weapon wildly. He could feel blood struggling to push through where he was holding tight. He had released his sword in his pain, and now he was mostly immobilized in a seated position on the ground. As for the woman herself, she seemed to heal quickly. Despite the deepness of her wounds, they had stopped bleeding on their own, and she had managed to get her own body back to her feet. She had also managed to take up one of her sabers, and walked over to where Cloud sat. Now, she towered over him with wild sadism in her eyes, and an air of victory over her face.

She raised the saber and positioned the point over his chest.

"I told you I'd cut out your heart for that." She spoke with a cruel sneer.

Cloud grit his teeth and managed to look back, but could do little else. Yet he realized his bad position. He had to do something. At the moment…he only felt he had enough strength to force himself forward and charge into the woman's stomach. He didn't know how much good it would do, but he had no choice. He prepared himself to do so as she started to press the point closer to him…

"That will be all, Rosso."

The woman's smile evaporated. Again looking surprised, she wheeled around and looked behind her, back up to Nero. The man stared back down calmly at her.

"We have the target. We are done here."

The woman, Rosso, actually looked angry at this. "You said we would get to kill everyone in the building! That I would get to slay him!"

"If you are upset about that, blame your own inefficiency as well as that of the other Tsviets." Nero answered. "You've been taking too long. By now, the police are on their way, and it seems another hostile has made it to the area. I won't risk anything happening to the case."

Cloud hesitated here. He realized what was being said, but he also saw that he had more time now. He looked over the woman again, and tried to focus what power he still had. He tried to think of a way he could still attack. Slowly, an idea began to present itself to him…

Rosso glared back at Nero a moment longer. After that, she turned and looked back down to Cloud. She was fuming, but now cracked part of a smile.

"At least I'll still get to finish-"

Cloud cut her off. Tightening his jaws, he rolled onto his back and lashed out with one of his legs. The move was painful…but he struck the woman right in the gut. Her voice was cut off and turned into a gasp. Her body doubled over as she grasped her stomach, the air having been kicked partially out of her lungs. Seeing that, Cloud lashed out with his other leg, and drove the heel hard into the wound on her leg that he had already inflicted. Rosso gave a cry of pain, and lost her remaining support. She spilled backward and fell with her back to the ground. The sword clattered out of her hand as she did so.

A second later, and the woman's face, livid with hate, snapped back up and glared at Cloud hatefully. Scrambling up as madly as she could, driving herself into more pain as she did so, she struggled onto all fours. "You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll rip you to-"

_Click._

"I said _enough._"

Rosso froze. Cloud, weakened as he was, managed to look up and see behind her. Nero had finally moved. He had hopped off of his perch and landed behind her, touching down lightly. Now that he was closer…Cloud actually felt a little cold. The light seemed almost a bit dimmer. It was like how he had felt around Sephiroth… At any rate, the woman seemed to feel it far more acutely. Her face lost its anger, and she seemed to go rigid and stiff. She held a few seconds longer, but then swallowed a bit. After that, she ceased her struggling. Instead, she calmly began to move herself upright to a standing position. There was irritation in her eyes, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with this, but she did as she was told. After a few moments more, she was standing, albeit a bit weakly on her wound.

She hesitated a moment, but then turned back down to Cloud and glared.

"…I swore to kill you…and I _will_. I promise you that."

With that, the woman turned and began to hobble away, back toward the bus.

At this time, Cloud became conscious that the ground was shaking. It was happening slowly and periodically, but it was growing in intensity as well. He realized what it was. Azul was walking back toward them. Yet now that things had calmed down slightly, Cloud realized he heard something else. It sounded like gunshots…and some sort of glass sound, like a sort of overshield or barrier…

"Nero…do you think you can get this insect off of me?" He heard a booming voice call.

Nero didn't answer. However…Cloud suddenly felt the temperature sink a few more degrees. He saw the lines along his uniform glow momentarily, and things suddenly seemed far more still and dead. The ex-mercenary couldn't be sure through his pain, but he thought he almost heard some sort of rushing sound behind him…almost like Lifestream, only seeming much different… It was like air being inhaled by something big... Whatever it was, it filled the area behind him. The sounds of gunshots seemed drowned in it, and the sound of the barrier cut off as well not long after.

"Now…open the door." Nero answered.

Cloud heard a small "heh" behind him…before a huge shot of firepower rocketed over his body and smashed into the bus again. This time…it did ignite.

The ex-mercenary clenched his teeth in agony, and was barely able to cover his face with one hand before heat and debris washed over him. His eyes shut, but the glow of fire pierced his eyelids anyway. Pieces of metal and glass rained down over him. Some of it was small. Other pieces were big, and bashed against his body as he lay there. Larger pieces soon followed those ones up, and soon he felt metal frames, pipes, and panels raining over his body. They were hot and jagged, burning his exposed flesh and cutting it as well. Two pieces bashed him in the head, sending his own senses for a further loop. He was nearly deafened by the sound of the eruption before him. Even when it died down, the echo continued to ring in his brain as the sounds of burning began.

The din was over soon, but Cloud didn't know how long he lay there. His senses were overloaded, his mind blinded with pain, and he was left lying on the ground partially covered with debris. He felt heat and smoke pour out over him, and he coughed and hacked. With what senses he did still have, he forced himself to hold his wound closed. The mako and Jenova cells in him were stopping most of the bleeding, but he knew he needed better medical or materia help for this… His eyes stayed closed as the fires continued to burn.

However…he finally did feel something. Powerful arms grabbed him by his armpits and yanked backward. The debris was roughly pulled off of him. His eyes opened up here at last. He became aware of fire and smoke blowing over him, and seeing part of the front entrance now completely destroyed. However, there was no sign of Nero, Rosso, or Azul.

Seeing this, he looked back a bit more, and saw the one who was pulling him back. He was a bit surprised to see who it was…but didn't show it. This man always seemed to come around when he was in trouble. Now he knew who the source of the shots was.

"Vincent…"

The dark man didn't answer. He continued to focus on Cloud and drag him back. The ex-mercenary let him for a moment, but his face stayed still and grim. Once he was sure who it was, he spoke out again in a more insistent voice.

"…They said they got the case… Denzel and Azure had it… Are they alright?"

"…They didn't get far." Vincent grimly answered as he continued to pull. "They're alive…but they need medical attention soon."

* * *

The Dragonfly gunned up, and soon the engines were running full speed. It pulled its crew and cabin up into the air, and soon began to bear it up and away from the airfield. As it did, it made sure to fire off a few additional rockets into the crowds of panicking people and the loaded airships. That would provide enough distraction for local authorities to keep from following them back to their origin.

Nero approved of this as he stood perfectly still and tall within the passenger area, seemingly impervious to the tilts and shifts that the helicopter was soon moving through. The rest of the Tsviets were seated and strapped in. Even big ones like Azul weren't foolish enough to move around, especially since the sides were open and DeepGround gunners were hanging out of special turrets on the sides, aiming for anyone who followed after them. Nero knew that they would deal with any further problems. His full attention was on their treasure.

"…If your shot damaged any of the contents of that case, you shall be disciplined most harshly, Azul." He mentioned as he noted the massive dent on the side.

The giant crossed his arms and seemed to almost growl. "The case is ours thanks to _me._ Shelke nearly lost it for us due to her hesitation to kill."

Shelke didn't offer to defend herself. From her own chair, she was adjusting a new hood over her head. This one wasn't as powerful as the one back at the base, but it did have enough ability to make it useful none the less. As soon as it was on, she pressed a switch and then leaned back in the chair. She began to patch into DeepGround's network.

"In this particular case, I'll look on hesitation over outright failure." Nero answered, turning his head to Rosso. "You've disappointed DeepGround greatly."

The woman angrily balled her hand into a fist in response. She was bleeding over her seat, but she didn't care. To treat her wounds while still in a potentially hostile area was a sign of weakness to her. Besides…even to feel herself bleeding was about the only thing that scared her. Thoughts of her own mortality were about the only things she couldn't tolerate.

"Once our leader has returned…I shall be more than ready to slay Cloud Strife, as well as his wife, children, and every one of his friends, all by myself."

"I'd prefer to have Vincent Valentine alone." Azul spoke up in response. "His appearance nearly ruined the operation as well, and I hate to leave enemies I've encountered alive."

"Control acknowledges that we are on our return flight." Shelke announced from her own seat. "Dispatched team is reporting. Confirm capture of two primary targets. Preparing to return to base."

"Good." Nero responded. "By tonight, I want to begin the testing. I want to know if this will benefit my brother as soon as possible."

"Additional target acquired." Shelke announced, causing the other Tsviets to look over to her with a bit of intrigue. "Horus Preene captured while attempting to take primary targets. Team requests permission to terminate."

Azul and Rosso looked back to Nero. The man himself stood still for a moment. He appeared to ponder over this turn of events for a few seconds.

"…Bring her back with them." He finally concluded. "She is the only one who has undergone this process so far. And she might be useful in getting the other targets to cooperate."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	7. The Rule of Two

This short chapter is more of a "quickee" filler, although it does have some important developments to progress the story. The biggest twist is coming in the next chapter. At any rate, at this point, this is the shortest chapter by far.

_

* * *

_

_I'm back._

_Bahamut? Listen…there's…_

_I'm fine. It drained me a bit, but I returned safe and sound. Something major is happening on Gaia. The humans have discovered a well of some sort, and it has the ability to bring espers back…to..._

_Well…aren't you going to say hello?_

_…Someone here to see you._

_I didn't know he was still here, Bahamut. To tell the truth…I didn't really care to look for him._

_And it seems as if I was wise to hold out here for so long, if what my brother just said was true. Tell me, Bahamut…what was that about a well that can bring espers back that I heard?_

_…I have nothing to say to you, Wyvern. We're both dead. Our fight is over. I don't intend to carry it into the next life as well._

_Then by all means, go on to your promised reward. I have a good idea of what's awaiting me, so I have no desire to leave the Lifestream just yet. Especially since it seems I might soon get yet another shot at life. It seems to be destiny for us, brother. We weren't meant to be mortal. We were meant to live forever. Don't you see how fate always conspires to bring us back?_

_I have no desire to return._

_Yes, well…a pity your pupil may not see things the same way. Oh…and speaking of your human followers…so nice to see you again, Terra._

_Go to Hell already, Wyvern. You can't scare what you can't hurt._

_Touche._

_I don't have time to banter with you. This well might bring more than just espers back, and it doesn't seem to have a preference as to which esper it restores. They just have to fit in with a certain element. But since you're here…I'll probably be forced to return to the Planet soon enough, to make sure that no one is doing anything foolish that could lead to you being one of the ones revived._

_Bahamut…_

_Feh…you're worried about me? You should be more concerned about other ones who are still kicking around in here. It seems the scum of this world would rather be nameless, formless wraiths in the mortal coil than go on to eternal damnation. Won't really matter when the world ends, because what is a few millions years to eternity and all that… But you should keep a closer eye out on some of the others. I only ever wanted to kill you and rule the world, Bahamut. Some of the people in here just want death. I've seen some nutty clown that would make your skin peel. And I'm pretty sure I've felt Griever kicking around in here too. Then, of course, there's _that_ guy…

* * *

_

To be totally honest…Tifa couldn't care less about losing the case. That was the farthest thing from her mind. And she really didn't care about Ragnar's discovery, the well, espers, or anything else. All she cared about was that most of her family could have been killed today. Not just Cloud, who she had constantly feared for already for years despite how capable he was.

Today…it had been her sons as well.

What would she have done if they had died?

It made her mad enough that she had to wait for three hours past when Cloud and the others were supposed to return home before she got the news. No one had been answering the cellular. Even then, it was secondhand. She had turned on the radio and got the report that the airfield in Edge had been assaulted by terrorists. Almost thirty people were dead, and many more injured. When she heard that, she was two minutes from going there herself, before she finally got a call. Yet it wasn't from Cloud. It was from Vincent. He told her what had happened…and how the teens had been hurt too.

He had helped get them to the hospital. Luckily, Denzel and Azure weren't too bad. They had some bumps and bruises, Denzel had one of his teeth knocked out, and Tifa was especially unsettled when Vincent told her that the doctors wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he didn't have a concussion. But the real thing that disturbed her was when she heard Cloud had been stabbed. It was serious, but non-life threatening. He'd have to be in for a few days.

After going to the hospital and checking in on all of them, and having Azure released to come back home, she got the rest of the story from him and Vincent. She didn't know how he had happened to be in that neighborhood at the time…but she was thankful for it. True to her worst fears, the injuries were tied into this terrorist attack. What more, it seemed that the whole reason that it had been done was simply to get the case. It had also been due mostly to four people, each one seeming to have supernatural powers. They had torn up most of the terminal trying to keep them from escaping. Tifa was grateful to hear that her boys had at least tried to get out of there when they had the chance, rather than stick around and almost get themselves killed. Even so…she could still remember how angry she had suddenly become when Azure had tried to get the case back.

"Azure, what were you thinking? This isn't a game! They were murdering the people in that terminal! They almost killed you! You've never been in a real fight or a battle before! I don't care what they were trying to steal! Don't ever do that again!"

Azure had quietly taken this, but Tifa was still upset that he didn't show either true obstinance or remorse. That was his way, but she couldn't tell if he was really disappointed with himself that he had made the stupid move of trying to attack an obviously skilled and talented fighter with his own amateur technique, or if he was simply sad that he had made her unhappy.

At any rate, he went right to bed. Tifa ordered him there, and he obliged. He might not have had as many fears tied into him as Denzel, but he looked just as worse for wear, and he was cringing and limping on his way back into the Seventh Heaven. After that, tired and sighing, Tifa was forced to call up Barret and ask to see if Marlene could come over and help her put the students to bed. Now, it was just her and Crain that were up.

_Crain…_

That was another thing that upset her. Her biological son had been worried about his brothers, but also more excited to hear about their fights. He kept on pressing them for more information on what they did, until Tifa nearly lost it when she snapped at him, telling him that what they had done was very stupid and that they would never do it again. She immediately calmed down and regretted snapping out after that…but she couldn't help it. She didn't want her third son to be eager to put his life in danger…

She was a bit calmer now. Once again, the students were in bed, and things were quieting down. She was in the living room now. She had been reading a book to Crain, and he had fallen asleep with his head on her lap. Marlene was seated across from her and the sofa chair, reclining on their couch. At the moment, they were silent. A clock was ticking away, but most of the school was dark and quiet. Tifa ran her fingers through Crain's hair.

She did finally look up after a while and over to Marlene.

"…Thanks again for coming over, Marlene. After what happened today…I'm overwhelmed and there's no one here to help me."

"No problem, Tifa." Marlene answered back, immediately giving a nod. "How soon will the others be home?"

The woman exhaled a bit and leaned her head back. "Denzel should be out tomorrow." She frowned afterward. "…I'm going to have to try and scare up some more money to have that tooth fixed. Cloud's going to be in for a few days yet."

Marlene nodded in response. "…Any idea who those people were?"

The woman's face turned a bit more downcast on hearing about that. "…No." She spoke quietly. _Does it really matter? Probably some group of psychos like we run into every few years making their appointed rounds…_

The girl seemed to pick up on this, although Tifa said nothing aloud. "…Are you alright?"

Tifa let out a sigh and turned her head where she lay.

"To be honest, no, I'm not." She answered a moment later. "I don't like this. It's not just what happened today. It's that it _always_ happens. Ever since I've been fifteen years old, life has been one endless chain of fights and life-shaking events. I thought that having Crain, adopting Denzel and Azure, and marrying Cloud would mean that it was over. That we could finally settle down and be a normal family. But it's not. If it's not running this school or fending off vandals, it's a group of crazy people trying to hurt my family. And I don't honestly know what I'd prefer. Being here when it happens and unable to do anything, or being out there and having to go through it again. I'm just getting really tired. And the thought that something else is starting to get into our lives is enough to make me just want to call it quits. I really don't care right now about that well or the case or espers. I only care that my husband and my son are spending the night in a hospital."

Marlene was quiet after this. There wasn't much that she could say in response, after all. She could only anxiously look at Tifa and hold her tongue. The woman herself stared off into space and breathed slowly. The clock continued to tick. Crain shifted a little on her lap, but other than that did nothing.

After a moment more, however, Tifa turned back to Marlene and forced herself to smile. "I'm sorry you're having to get the tail end of this, Marlene. I just needed to get it off my chest."

The girl paused herself, but then shrugged and smiled a bit herself. "It's alright, Tifa. I didn't mind. I just wished there was something I could do to make you feel better."

"Trust me, your being here is enough." Tifa answered. "A little peace of mind is something I'm valuing a lot lately."

Marlene kept a frown and turned her own head to the side. "I can't believe it. They attacked that terminal…killed all of those people…for that case?" She turned back to the woman afterward. "Why? What was in it? I thought it was just water from those bowls in the well…"

Tifa could only shake her head. "I don't know. I'm not sure I understand it all myself from what I've heard from Ragnar. But somehow, the water in those bowls can bring espers to life. I don't even have a good idea of what an esper is…but apparently it did it once already."

The girl paused a bit longer, seeming to think this over and look uneasily around.

"I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, Tifa…but I'm worried about what this all means. I'm afraid something bad is going to happen pretty soon…"

* * *

Nero was once again perched over Shelke's shoulder. The fellow Tsviet seemed oblivious to him, but that in itself was nothing new. At the moment, she didn't seem conscious of anything. She was in the midst of another synaptic mode dive, quite flaccid as she lay in her chair with her hood securely placed over her head. Using her ability, she was monitoring several different sensors and scanners at once concerning their latest "project". Nero himself eagerly awaited results. They had returned to base some hours ago, and it was now late. The test was already an hour underway. 

He was seeing some of the data in front of him. On two screens before Shelke were cameras into the cells of their latest prisoners. One held the woman named Horus. DeepGround was being unusually gentle with her, but that was only for the moment. Although she had signs of a rather savage beating and one of her arms had been put into a makeshift sling, she was still putting up quite a fight, beating around her cell and angrily screaming at her unseen captors. She was of little use herself. Her sole purpose had been a few hours ago, when they were able to use her (specifically threats directed to her) to get her mutated comrades to drink from a set of special cups. Unknown to either of them, the cups, which seemed to have water in them, now had the contents from one of the special containers recovered from the case within them. Rather than waste two, Nero had told them to simply split one between the two subjects.

He was watching them intently now. No obvious changes…at least, none he could confirm visually. It almost looked as if both of them had become a bit more…muscular. Their aggression had definitely increased. At least…the older one's had. He was now stomping about his cell, angrily smashing into the walls. The younger one looked far calmer…even more mature. He crossed his arms and addressed the bigger one from time to time. The big one would then turn and argue, but in the end would back down, until he became irritable enough to start smashing again.

"Is your report ready?" Nero finally asked.

"Subjects 'Malcolm' and 'Roon' injested the contents of the container marked 'Earth(?)' 64 minutes ago." Shelke immediately answered. "After an initial moment of staggering and progressively more sluggish movements, they fell unconscious. New energy readings began to come from both bodies, which before were located in the single container. Electrical shocks were administered to arouse them. Although they awoke, neither the shocks nor the ions pumped into the room have any indication of being absorbed or transformed into power. Dr. Rui's theory that only a like element would produce a charging seems to hold true."

"Are they 'espers' now?"

"Yes. Apparently, splitting the water sample did little to affect the transfer. At least one splitting seems to work fine, resulting in two espers instead of one. More than one split might cause difficulties, however. Ironically, the younger subject of the two seems to have taken on an older and more experienced, if not physically more powerful, entity than the older subject. Based on their dialogue, they appear to actually be relation. Brothers of some sort. They are completely confused as to their current status. However…they are recovering power quickly. Far more quickly than the recharge documented on Quetzacoatl prior to introduction of electrical energy. My theory is that since we are currently underground, and they themselves are of the 'Earth force', they are regenerating simply from being in the area."

"Can the effect be accelerated?"

Shelke answered by bringing her hand to life long enough to reach out and run across invisible controls. Only in her own cyberspace world did she actually adjust icons. "I am attempting to right now. A load of earthen waste from an attempt to build an access tunnel was redirected to this cell. Watch carefully."

Nero obliged by looking back up to the cell. He waited patiently as Shelke continued to work. A moment later, and she finished and relaxed again.

The two in the cell suddenly snapped their heads to the sides. They heard something that Nero himself couldn't hear. A moment later, and the bigger one stiffened up and appeared to get ready to fight as a row of metal panels in the side of the cell opened. A deluge of dirt and soil soon poured into the room. Both the bigger one and the smaller one reacted in surprise. They struggled to turn and get away from it, but it was moving too fast. Soon, it rushed over them, and the power of it knocked their knees out from underneath them and sent them falling face first into it as it rushed through the cell. It quickly began to fill it up, and kept rushing in until it was over the knees of an average person. Only then did it halt.

The two were knocked flat, half buried in the dirt that had ran over them. They seemed to have been knocked unconscious, perhaps even hurt, by the attack of the earth deluge. For a moment, they lay there still. Nero narrowed his gaze, and began to wonder if this had been for nothing.

That was…until Shelke spoke again.

"…Energy level slope increasing two fold…three fold…"

Nero heard this, but kept his eyes on the cell. As he did…he watched as the two slowly began to pick themselves up. This time, there was no denying it. As he watched, their muscles _did_ begin to grow. Not only that, but it almost seemed as if the shaggy, rough fur they had was starting to smooth out. Their claws became less like claws and more fist like. He almost thought he could see nubs of some sort beginning to poke out from their foreheads. As they pushed themselves up and out of the dirt, he began to see the soil they were standing in bleach. It seemed to turn paler…and, on further examination, finer. As they pulled themselves out of it and began to stand in other earth, that began to pale as well. Nero didn't need Shelke to realize what was happening. They were draining the earth element from the soil…using it to feed themselves. They were leaving behind barren, useless sand.

"There's a definite reaction." Shelke concluded. "And the earth accelerated it. They are, without any doubt, of the Earth element. At this current rate, so long as they continue to have access to this sort of fresh soil, they should reach a zenith of power equivalent to what Dr. Rui recorded in the full esper Quetzacoatl within two hours."

"You have full clearance to use as much personnel as required to give them fresh soil, should they exhaust their current supply." Nero continued. "Contact me again once their transformation is complete. If all goes well…then we will proceed with the true treatment immediately."

* * *

"Yes, I think all of us will be taking the next airship back, even if we have to reroute to somewhere else. I'll see you as soon as possible." 

Ragnar hung up the phone soon after, and after replacing it in his pocket was forced to just stand aghast for a few moments, trying to wrap his brain about what had just happened back home. It was well known that news only reached Gateway slowly from the rest of the world. Hence, when there had been an attack on the airfield at Edge, he only was hearing it now this late at night from Tifa. Coupled to that the shocking fact that Cloud, Denzel, and Azure had all been hurt in the assault, and the fact that the whole operation appeared to have been designated to get the case that Ragnar had sent back home, and the man was soon overwhelmed.

After a few moments, he was able to turn and start walking out of his office and to the door. Soon he exited into the main hall of his research facility. Most of the other students and researchers were gone for the night. Right now, it was just him and Shalua. She was temporarily making use of the lab facilities that they had in their own research complex, despite the fact that it didn't have nearly the specifications and personalized equipment of her own lab. She had brought a few things from there and was trying to make do. He was headed for the lab as he continued to think about this.

Although he was definitely upset about what had happened to Cloud and his sons…he couldn't help but be anxious about the fact that the case had been stolen. Part of it was due to the fact that, deep down inside, he was upset that someone had stolen a chance for more espers to one day come back to life. The other part, however, was that someone had specifically targeted the case to be stolen in the first place. How was that possible? There were only a handful of people who even knew the true nature of that case and the specimens within it. And even if they did…then what? Why would they want to use it?

Needless to say, the man was considerably tensed up when he reached the lab. He had to unlock the door himself. Outside of her own lab, Shalua seemed to keep herself sealed inside. But on thinking of that…a strange idea occurred to Ragnar. She knew probably as much about the bowls and the essences as any of the rest of them. Could she have leaked the information?

Yet he dismissed that notion soon after. She had worked for the PPA, Reeve, and them for years without any trouble or incident. And although he only knew of a few people who had firsthand knowledge, there was just as much chance of the fact that any of the countless workers could have spotted something and relayed the information. But to who? And what for?

As the door slid open, he thought of another possibility. Horus. They hadn't heard from her in almost 24 hours by now. It was clear that they didn't truly trust each other completely yet. And she _had_ tried to take the samples the night before…

He waved that off too. The woman had been so grateful to be human again that he doubted she really had true alterior motives in mind. The only thing anyone could really offer her now was the chance to restore her friends. And Ragnar and his group had done the same. Then again…they made her wait. They thought it was too risky to try it right away. She hadn't been eager to wait. And she had demonstrated in the past that she didn't care who got hurt so long as she got what she wanted…

He didn't know. He decided not to focus on the culprit just yet. He was more interested in what had happened. He also wanted Shalua to know about this. He knew that she was keeping a record of their findings. There was a chance that if it wasn't one of the people around him, someone had gotten ahold of the information from her computer.

Ragnar soon began to walk into the room. Just in front of him on one of the lab tables was Shalua. She was hunched over it with her laptop open nearby, seeming to operate from that system now. She also had a few "subjects" in front of her. Namely, there were a set of Petri dishes set up around her workspace, and a microscope along with them. She seemed to have a look of concern on her expression as she looked to the dishes, in particular the one she had under the microscope. She stared at it a few moments, and then turned and typed some more on her computer. After that, she turned back and worked further. The man noticed that the

However, as Ragnar approached, she noticed him and looked up.

"Ragnar…I'm glad you're here." She immediately started. "I found something-"

The man cut her off, not really listening to this.

"The case we sent to Isuzu was stolen."

Immediately, Shalua cut herself off and turned to surprise. "What?"

"Some sort of group attacked the airport and killed dozens of people trying to get to it." Ragnar answered. "They stole the case and ran off with it. That's all they were going after too. Somehow, they knew what was in it."

"That's impossible." Shalua answered. "No one knew what was there. Only a handful of people even knew it was being sent."

"Well, somehow they did. And they didn't seem to care about killing people in order to get it either." Ragnar responded. "I don't honestly believe that any of us would have told them about it…not even Horus. So that leads me to believe it was anyone who might have gotten ahold of our data."

Shalua shook her head. "I keep all of the data under password lock and key, and I've got Isuzu Industries' latest firewalls protecting against a hacker."

"That doesn't necessarily mean someone couldn't get into it." Ragnar answered. "Is there any way to check to see if your security was breached?"

The woman sighed in response. "Only if they put some sort of program on it. That shouldn't have worked anyway, because I've got anti-spyware programming as well. No one has been around my main systems except me either. There might be something in the records of program access, assuming that it was a hacker who wasn't smart enough to cover his or her tracks by erasing that record. They'd have to be rather meticulous for that though."

Ragnar sighed and crossed his arms. "It doesn't make any sense to me. Why would they do it at all? Even if they knew what it was? Why would anyone else care about bringing more espers to life?"

Shalua leveled her good eye at him at this. "…They probably didn't care about bringing espers to life. Don't forget what this essence was able to do. Horus was incurably mutated, and yet somehow the process of possession and evocation cured her. I did state in my fourth report that these essences represent a potential in a new way to cure genetic diseases without having to worry about replicating the body's numerous pathways and hope for success. Assuming I _was_ hacked, though I don't see how, and that they looked at it, it could have given them quite a few ideas." Shalua paused after saying this, and leaned back a bit as she cocked her neck.

"Although…for their own sakes, I hope they don't act on them."

Ragnar looked up and to Shalua at this. "…What do you mean?"

The woman turned to him, and raised her remaining arm and tapped it against the Petri dishes.

"I've been scrambling my brains trying to think of a way to model what happened with Horus and Quetzacoatl. I'm afraid to try anything, thinking it'll do the same thing again. There's no reason to believe that these bowls just work on humans. They might work on lab rats or dogs for all I know too. But I finally came up with one system. I've been using small cultures of bacteria, yeasts, and fungus. Apparently, it's not that good for one of these bowls to try and channel a spirit into some single celled organism or colony. Even so, I've only been giving them single droplets from the one we confirmed as Ice. It seems to have been working out so far. It causes a reaction for about twenty seconds before some mechanism realizes the cultures aren't enough and ceases. It gives me some time to study and take readings."

The woman leaned back a bit and gestured to the dish in front of her. She grew a bit more serious.

"…About two hours ago, while testing one of the bacterial samples, I noticed something strange. Only half of the bacteria in this dish showed a reaction. The other half remained unaltered. I struggled to figure out why. I racked my brains over the simple explanations, hoping that I wouldn't have to send it out for analysis to try and determine if it was a genetic problem. I might have anyway if I didn't try to repeat the effect by placing another droplet on the colony. Again, only half of them reacted…but not the _same_ half.

"I realized that I had made a mistake on this tray. I accidentally gave it two different strains of bacteria. They're just far enough away to be considered a separate species, and they have enough fundamental differences in them to tell apart under a microscope if you look closely enough. What I found out was that the droplets were only causing a reaction in one of them at a time. I tried using more distinct plates and attempted the same thing, and I eventually realized that it depended entirely on which strain absorbed more of the water than the other. That, in turn, was an effect of where I placed the droplet."

Ragnar wasn't following this. "What are you saying?"

"Right now I can't say anything for certain unless I can get a completely chimeric organism, much like Horus was." Shalua answered. "But I think I'm starting to get why Horus' body was restored to humanity and Quetzacoatl was able to get a new body at the same time. It's because there were _two separate sets of DNA_ inside Horus. The blending wasn't perfect when that Hoeng person did it to them. Some regions were more distinctly owl and some were more distinctly human. I'm starting to believe that the water never really got into Horus' human portion, but instead got into contact with her owl half. That's what was growing and absorbing power. And when she got enough, that DNA altered itself to become identical to an esper. In the course of doing so, a malfunction occurred in which it didn't just slough off Horus' DNA, but rebuilt it into its original body as well."

The Cetra was still confused. "I still don't get what you mean."

"I mean that the only reason Horus is here is because she was a chimera when she drank the water, and the water somehow attached to her bird half instead of her human half. If Horus herself was to drink a bowl now, she wouldn't evoke a separate esper at all. She would _become_ the esper. The only reason she's even here was because she had been blended once and Quetzacoatl only took one half."

Now Ragnar began to understand. And when he did, his look immediately changed to concern.

"…You mean to say that if any 'normal' person drank from one of the bowls…they'd simple become the esper for good? Their own spirits would be 'displaced' and the body would change to suit the esper's spirit?"

Shalua sighed and gave a shrug.

"I can't make that conclusion a certainty just from bacterial cultures, but that's what it's starting to look like. And that explains more of the questions I've been having. If this _is_ the case, then the only people we could expect that this would be a safe procedure for would indeed be Malcolm and Roon. Anyone else might as well commit suicide."

The loss of the case was almost forgotten as Ragnar heard this latest revelation. Apparently, bringing an esper back wasn't so simple as it seemed. It came at a tall price. In the case of Horus, the price she paid was something she had wanted to lose to begin with. Yet it seemed as if they had all been misled into thinking that this was both a way to restore and esper and a panacea for genetic ailments. And if this was indeed the case…then Ragnar realized another misfortune had ruined his hopes.

Even if the Sun's bowl was intact…someone would have to give up their life for Bahamut's…

Ragnar swallowed, and in the end gave a nod to her.

"Well…it's getting late now, but I'd appreciate it if you kept checking until you knew for certain. Until then, I may have to have that place sealed up." He began to turn to leave at this, and got a few steps away from Shalua afterward. However, he suddenly stopped an instant later, and turned back to her.

"…And make sure you don't touch that water." He warned.

Shalua gave a half-smile.

"I'm already using my extra-long pipettes."

* * *

Nero finished closing the distance to his old position, and then halted and crossed his arms. 

"Report." He stated.

Shelke was still in the chair with the hood draped over her head. However, ahead of her, there had been a considerable change. Horus was still much the same, but the cell that held the other two subjects now held four.

Two human bodies were passed out on the ground, motionless. One was a man and the other was a boy. Next to them, however, two new monstrosities had arisen. Both of them were terrible, frightening hulks. They had horns, ugly faces, hooves, and lots of muscle. The smaller of the two was still calm, but the bigger one was pounding away at the walls again. Each blow shook the camera.

"Experiment successful." Shelke responded. "Once they reached a zenith, they evoked into separate beings after seeming to send out some sort of eruption of earth. The two humans are alive but still unconscious. They seemed to have been flung around severely during the evocation. As for the larger beasts, the one designate 'espers', they almost seemed to become conscious and active instantly."

Nero looked on at the screen, watching the large one continue to pound away at his prison.

"…Currently, the cell walls have been modified to produce the same sort of resistant force as is projected against Arch Azul." Shelke explained, seeming to notice him looking without turning around. "They're holding for the time being, but these new entities are rather powerful."

"Then my brother will have to be restrained until he evokes his own entity." Nero answered. "Assemble the other Tsviets. Tell them to place the 100 weakest soldiers-in-training within my brother's chamber. Have my brother strapped down into his throne. Prepare the sample marked 'Death'."

Shelke did turn her hooded head slightly over to Nero at this. "May I ask why that particular sample?"

"We excel at bringing death. That will be the easiest to feed." Nero answered.

"Shall we test them further?" Shelke asked. "Make sure they are healthy with no abnormalities before we attempt to use this on Weiss the Immaculate?"

"I will wait no longer." Nero answered. "I've seen enough. My brother will live again by tomorrow morning."

"Then what shall I do with the current beasts and the two subjects?"

"The subjects are nothing. They may be devoured by the beasts. The beasts themselves will be a gift to my brother once he lives again. I wish to give him a challenge for him to hone his skills upon."

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright...some of you may be wondering why two espers came out when, based on Shalua's research, only one of them should have become an esper. Well, not exactly. For one thing, Shalua was working with a simulated chimera, not two different organisms per say. Another issue has to do with the kind of esper that was brought out. These two happen to be closely knit twins and actually have almost an interconnected spirit, and so they tried to deposit themselves into two different bodies. Yet as you might have guessed...it ended up being a bit random.


	8. Man of the Hour

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since I seem to be confusing some, I better clarify this...

For the most part, all of the Final Fantasies have taken place in chronological order in this series. Several were omitted. The two major exceptions to the order were Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X (and, I guess, by extension, Final Fantasy X-2). I placed Final Fantasy IX before VI due to the state of the world in that game. Final Fantasy X only existed as a dream in Bahamut's mind in this universe (which isn't necessarily non-canon, since the dreams of the Fayth translate into reality in Final Fantasy X). Currently, Final Fantasy VII was left behind (although many characters are still here), and history is progressing toward the set up for Final Fantasy VIII. So no, that game has not taken place yet.

Also I had an error of a sentence fragment during the laboratory scene in the last chapter. Ignore that sentence. It's non-essential.

Lastly, a warning. I was reading a bunch of Stephen King when I wrote part of this chapter, in particular the ending. It's rather graphic, meriting almost an "M" rating to me. You've been warned.

* * *

Weiss' "throne room" might not have been as grand as an Imperial palace, but for the denizens of DeepGround and the Tsviets, it had its own appeal none the less. For the most part, it was a converted mako pit. Pipes and conduits lined the ceiling and floor and traced their way to the main reactor in the center, where Weiss' own throne stood. Technically, "converted" was an incorrect statement as well. The pit was still functional, filled with boiling mako as the reactor over it continued to churn. The reactor behind Weiss continued to carry out its process after all these years. In fact, that was part of the reason he had been hooked up to it. He'd be alive even if massive power failure occurred everywhere else. It was dark in here. The only illumination came from the mako pit itself. The result was a very shadowy, ethereal locale deep within the base.

It was here the the Tsviets were now gathered, along with 100 of their "recruits" that they concluded "weren't pulling their own weight". Most of them were young. Eleven or twelve. They were either still rebellious or, far more likely, too fearful to be true soldiers. They weren't restrained. They knew now enough not to try to make a run for it or, far more foolishly, challenge a Tsviet. Nero himself could kill them all in seconds if he wished. Shelke, Rosso, and Azul were surrounding them from three different angles, with Nero in front next to Weiss' body. Rosso had been patched up good as new by now. Shelke had received a mako treatement and was fully recharged. Azul was as unchanged as before.

Nero didn't pay attention to them now. His straps had been removed, and his arms were uncrossed now. One was at his side. The other held a glass cylinder with the essence contained in it. He wanted to do this with his bare hands. He wanted to know that he had brought his brother back from oblivion using his own touch.

Weiss sat with his arms splayed out on the arms of the throne, and his head bowed slightly. Nero stared at him for a few moments, looking him over with tremendous affection. The only thing in the world he ever cared about. To him, he was the most beautiful form of life. The image of perfection. It was small wonder that he had been unable to think about anything except restoring him when he became sick. Within him were the hopes and dreams of DeepGround and all who dwelt within it. If there was to be a man who could remake the world into something new, then it was Weiss the Immaculate. Nero had always believed that. To him…the greatest thing he could possibly do was restore him.

With that in mind…Nero knelt down before him. His other hand rose…and placed itself on Weiss' hand.

"…I've found it, brother." He stated quietly to him, under his breath so that none could hear. "I knew it would be out there…that I'd find it if I looked hard enough. A way to bring you back from the grave."

Naturally, the inanimate body did not reply.

"It wasn't for nothing, brother. I haven't let you down. I told you that you could always count on me. I'd always be there for you, just as you were always there for me."

Again, no answer.

Nero paused, and then bowed his head.

"…I know you can't hear me. That you won't remember this. But somehow, deep inside…I wanted you to know this. I will always be at your side, brother. No matter where you lead, I will follow. No matter what you ask of me, I will do. I love you more than I love my own life. I hope that you will remember this, even if you remember nothing else."

The dark man hesitated just a moment longer. After that, he removed his hand from his brother's. He paused another moment, before he turned his eyes up and examined the restraints on Weiss. Now he was strapped down with metal bands, ones powerful enough even to shackle Arch Azul. He hated to have to see them, but it was necessary none the less. Once he examined them all, he turned back to his cylinder. Slowly, he moved his hand over it and opened it. After that, he rose to his feet, being careful not to spill a single drop of the precious liquid.

Nero moved in soon afterward, and put his arm around Weiss' head and tilted it back. He was very gentle with it, like a mother with her infant. Once he was in this position, he took the cylinder to his mouth and brought it to his lips. His jaw was flaccid and hung open, and he was able to put the edge inside it. Once that was done…he poured it inside. He didn't need to worry about breathing or choking. The machine was handling that. He emptied the entire cylinder in one movement. He made sure none of it spilled out, but after he was done used his other hand to tilt Weiss' head back further and force it down.

Once this was done, the man simply tossed the cylinder away and into the mako pit. He backed up afterward…putting Weiss' head back to rest as he did so…and then waited.

For a few moments, there was nothing. The others in the chamber waited patiently, however, looking for what would be the first reaction. Everyone was as silent and rapt as an audience awaiting a master performer. Weiss' body remained limp and lifeless…

Until, with a snap and a grunt from his long-unused lungs, he arched up and back in his chair, stirring with a new life entering his bones.

* * *

_What the…_

_I felt _that_, Bahamut…_

_So another one's leaving? I wish they'd hurry and get to me…_

_Oh no…_

_…Leviathan?_

_No…not that one… Don't give him a life!_

_Leviathan, what are you talking about?_

_I can sense him leaving! He's being brought to life for the first time!_

_Who?_

_Diablos!

* * *

_

Weiss' hands stiffened. His wrists began to strain against his bonds. His fingers extended and clenched. He grit his teeth as his head went up, and the veins and sinews in his neck began to come out. He looked like a madman almost, being strapped to a chair to keep him from going wild. Or worse…like a man being electrocuted to death. A moan came from him…long, whining, and agonized as he thrashed about in his bonds. It soon began to pick up in volume, beginning to become more like a cry as he cast about.

The soldiers-in-training began to retreat. Emotion filled Nero's eyes…worry. Hesitation. He began to wonder if he had done the right thing. If he had just done something far worse to his brother… In another few moments, he might have panicked…tried to find a way to stop this…

But before he could…Weiss abruptly went limp again. His body collapsed in the chair, yet stayed propped up due to the restraints and the life support devices. The room became silent. The people gathered stared out and watched afterward, completely focused on Weiss. They waited to see what would happen. What sort of reaction he would make. What sort of entity was now inside him…

At last, he moved again. This time, it was clear that there was life in the body. Very slowly, the hands tightened just enough to rest properly on the sides of the chair. The legs drew up and became straight. Once that was done, the neck very slowly tightened. The head of Weiss drew itself up on its own. The Tsviets gazed in rapt attention. Even knowing that it wasn't "Weiss" himself, they were in awe of seeing their master move again none the less. They watched as the head fully evened itself out, leveling straight at them. A moment later…and the eyes opened.

Nero was almost taken aback. They weren't Weiss' eyes. They were yellow…and viper-like… They seemed to glow as they looked out. And when they looked at you, even when Nero felt his gaze fall on him…you felt as if something inside you was dying…

Yet that wasn't all. Everyone, even those who were accustomed to using darkness on their own side, suddenly felt as if the shadows in the room had grown longer and more menacing. The air seemed to be colder. Even Rosso, who delighted so much in pain and death, actually felt herself shake. The rest of the Tsviets likewise looked uncomfortable in the wake of this.

As for Shelke…she stared at the man's eyes for the briefest moment…before her emotionless gaze very briefly turned into one of terror…the kind she hadn't felt in years.

Her hand almost reached up to clench her heart. The faintest whisper passed her lips, unheard by anyone else…

"…Big sister…"

Whatever was in Weiss did not struggle or strain. He didn't look around in confusion or anger. He didn't try to snap his bonds or yell out to the others for explanation. On the contrary…he was totally calm. He almost seemed to know exactly what was going on in the chamber. If it wasn't for the eyes, one might almost assume that he was Weiss already, with how comfortable and at ease he appeared. As it was, he sat quietly in his throne. His eyes flickered down after a moment and examined his restraints, but paid them no more mind than a passing fly. After that, he calmly looked up, and seemed to almost relax.

By now, the moment was passing. The Tsviets were calming down although the soldiers still looked nervous. Even Shelke was calm again…or at least attempted to look that way. A bit of lingering fear remained in her normally emotionless eyes. Nero stared on at Weiss for a moment more, but then turned around to the others.

"The transfer is complete. Weiss the Immaculate lives again. But to give him his body, we must feed this entity until it becomes a separate being. Then, if my brother is unable, we must destroy it ourselves."

The Tsviets hesitated a moment, but then began to nod. The moment had passed…and they were no longer staring at the thing in the throne. With that moment gone, Azul began to smile a bit wider.

"This shouldn't take long…"

"Actually…" Nero answered. "Draw it out as long as possible. Slow deaths might feed him more than quick ones."

Rosso grinned widely herself as she began to pull out a new swallow. "I'd love to."

As for the gathered soldiers, only now did they manage to look away from the thing on the throne and around them. They soon saw that the Tsviets around were beginning to draw their weapons…and turned their gazes squarely on them. As they saw this…they knew what was coming. Some thoughts of attack went through a few of their minds. Others went to fleeing. Most of them turned to utter, paralyzed panic and terror.

Yet regardless of what they felt…none were able to escape the fate the Tsviets began to give them moments later.

* * *

Tifa made sure the lock was secure on the door, and then pulled it to and shut it. Once that was done, she let out an exhale and turned forward. She took a few steps while still staring at the ground before she looked up and in front of her. When she did, she slowed a bit at who she saw waiting out there nearby, arms crossed and at the side of the pavement. But not long after, she began to pick up her pace again.

"I didn't get a chance to really say thank you for yesterday." She spoke as she walked.

Vincent uncrossed his arms and began to fall in beside her as she passed. He said nothing else to her. Tifa was a bit uncomfortable on feeling that. Even though she had been around Vincent for years, the fact was the man did still have a chilling personality. As a result, they were both a bit quiet as they began to walk down the pavement toward the sidewalk. It was early now. The sun was just starting to clear the skyline as the two of them walked along. Few people were on the streets.

Tifa grimaced somewhat as they walked. "I actually should be somewhat thankful for that attack yesterday… It did delay that panel discussion a bit longer. That's about the only silver lining I can see to this…"

Vincent again said nothing.

The woman turned to him and spoke up. "What brings you in town, Vincent? Is Krystea around?"

"Reeve called me in to check on something." Vincent answered, at last speaking up in his dark voice. "He and his employees were noticing it, so he sent out a Cait Sith robot to confirm it. People have been disappearing in a lot of major metropolitan areas over the past few years. Every year, more of them vanish. Almost all of them are children, either homeless or from bad households. Because of that it's almost impossible to get real numbers, and people haven't really noticed it until now. He wanted me to see what I could find."

Tifa paused for a moment, listening in on that. "…And you were in the neighborhood when those terrorists attacked?"

"Actually…I was following up on a lead and it led me right to them."

Tifa's eyes widened somewhat on hearing that. "What?"

"The giveaway has been a foreign airspace detection." Vincent continued. "Normally the city is well aware of what sort of helicopters and airships are over it. However…a mystery one appears always around the time that one of these abductions takes place. Unknown craft model and origin. I was in the area, looking for signs of the craft. I picked up a transmission yesterday and headed toward the source. I found some model of helicopter landed on top of an abandoned building, but before I could check it out the commotion began in the hanger. After that, I couldn't come back because of Cloud and your kids."

Tifa let out a sigh and looked ahead again. "Well, I'm grateful for it none the less. I'm on my way to pick up Denzel now. The doctors better not give him a clean bill of health if he doesn't want me to beat his butt. You said he actually picked a fight with one of them?"

"That's what it looked like." Vincent answered. "The biggest one, at that."

The woman sighed again. "As reckless as his father… He hasn't changed since that day he almost ran right into Bahamut Sin's mouth."

"I wouldn't be too upset with him." Vincent responded, actually making Tifa turn back to him in a bit of surprise. Vincent, after all, wasn't usually one who cared enough to defend someone.

"That giant would have finished the job on Azure if he hadn't distracted him. His opponent was pretty merciless…but she didn't have the savagery of the big one. His life wasn't in nearly as much danger from her. And he wanted to give Azure a chance to escape in the first place. It's what Cloud had already done. He was just trying to do what one of us would have done."

Tifa had to hesitate on hearing that last comment. Immediately thereafter, however, she let out another exhale of exasperation.

"I don't care. Nothing in that case was worth the lives of either of them, or of Cloud for that matter."

"…I don't think you would have felt that way if it had been you." Vincent answered after a brief pause. "Would Cloud have been able to stop you in a similar situation?"

The woman was again forced to pause. Soon, her look turned to annoyance as she realized Vincent was right. Cloud, on his part, would feel much safer if Tifa spent the rest of her days living a quiet, non-life-threatening existence as a matron and bar hostess. Tifa, on her own, would prefer Cloud just helped out around the place, helped raise the kids, and stayed a delivery man. Yet deep down inside, neither of them knew that they could stop the other from going into danger. Especially where the safety of the other one was concerned. In truth, Denzel had done the same thing in that air hanger. If the crime was trying to defend his brother, then Tifa couldn't be that angry.

Yet that in itself scared her and unsettled her more than anything else. Maybe her sons really _were_ becoming like herself and Cloud…having to put their lives on the line on an almost daily basis for weeks at a time… While she didn't rue that fate…she had never been able to grow up seeing her mother and father look over her with worry and concern. Hence, she wasn't prepared for it now that her own children were coming into their own… How would she be able to feel knowing that they were in danger too?

She finally pushed it out of her mind and changed the subject. "Whoever they were, I hope they stay out of our hair for a while. We've got enough problems to deal with as it is besides worrying about some crazy terrorists bringing monsters back to life…"

* * *

Screams of agony had been ringing out in the center of Mako Reactor 0 for hours. A slaughter the likes of which had not been seen since far more barbaric ages was acted out within it. Like sadistic demons, the Tsviets went around and made their recruits die in horrible ways, each one long, slow, and agonizing. Some of the things they did were unspeakable. Many were inhuman. People did try to escape from time to time…but all it would take was a few slashes or shots across their knees or hamstrings to leave them lying down until it was their turn to die.

However, one of the Tsviets kept participation to a minimum. Unlike man-monsters like Rosso and Azul, Shelke delighted in neither death nor life. Although she slew several herself, for the most part she kept on the sidelines, letting the other three work. She had another device with her besides her weapons. It was handheld, and she was using it to monitor the true situation in the room, the reason that all of this was taking place…

Whatever was in Weiss' body sat in the throne overlooking the room. He patiently observed this like an emperor watching a gladiator match. He was not disgusted or shocked by any of the violence that was taking place. Shelke monitored him as the slaughter went on…and saw that the theories were correct. Slowly and surely, his own power was beginning to refill. It wasn't just that, however. Shelke actually saw him physically changing. In addition to having his muscles enlarge and his size seem to grow…she almost thought she could see what looked like scales beginning to move underneath his skin… The end of his chin was beginning to point, and his hair seemed to press out on the sides. But through it all…his yellow eyes glowed brighter and brighter…

As the power continued to climb, however…one thing did intrigue the Tsviet. Whatever was in Weiss made no move to escape. He spoke not a word. He didn't strain or curse or anything else. He didn't react at all as the beasts had. What more…he didn't seem to have any confusion or irritation about him. He seemed to understand what was going on in front of him. More than that…he seemed to _enjoy_ it. Shelke caught him smiling more than once. And as his power continued to grow, he didn't get excited or crazed or anything else. He just calmly sat…calmly waiting. Meanwhile, each new scream and sound of rending drove another small spike into the meter.

It took hours, but eventually it began to draw near. Shelke watched it carefully as it approached. Only about eight were still alive at that point, and they were being slowly killed. Rosso was contenting herself with surgically disemboweling her latest prey…while Azul, still in "human" form, was enjoying eating his latest victim alive…

Here, the girl looked up and sounded out.

"We're at threshold. One more push should do it."

The other Tsviets stopped here. They looked to Shelke as she said this, and paused in their work. After that, they turned back to Weiss and looked at him.

Again, they were unsettled. Their breath in his direction actually was misting. The mako in the pit around him had seemed to grow dark and slow. His nails looked like they were ripping the cuticles off in order to make talons. His skin was tight, almost ripping, and seemed to be turning gray… His teeth were sharp now…seeming to almost fill his mouth impossibly. His jaw was distorted and twisted, forming a long, beard-like jut down to his chest. His hair almost looked solid as it flailed out to the sides. But worst of all…the eyes. The horrible eyes. The eyes that looked like they were staring at you from out of the depths of Hell itself. By now, it wasn't enough to look away from them. You could almost feel them still on you…

The Tsviets paused for something of thirty seconds while their victims moaned. They weren't able to move readily once their attention was focused on what was within Weiss again. However, it didn't hold Nero forever. Eventually, the thought that his brother was nearly with them again excited him once more. With that in mind, he turned his full attention back to the others.

"I'll finish them all at once." Nero stated. "The rest of you…prepare to kill the esper that emerges from my brother's body."

Azul and Rosso didn't argue. Although the latter looked a bit unhappy to miss a kill, both of them released their victims and turned their full attention to the throne. They hadn't been using the firing portion of their weapons that much, and so now they aimed both blood-soaked guns right at Weiss. They weren't going to shoot _him_ of course, but rather the first thing that came out of him. There was no need to worry about hurting Weiss. The man's skin was bulletproof.

Shelke, however, hesitated. She saw that the thing in Weiss had not moved. Even when Nero gave the statement, he continued to sit calmly. Basic logic reasoned that even if the thing had thought nothing of the events before now, it would be upset at this time. They were talking about killing it. Yet it didn't look the slightest bit worried. Was it that convinced of its own power? Or…was there something else that was motivating it?

Shelke didn't know…but as she put her pad away and began to draw her weapons, she prepared herself to tap into the reactor's energy to carry out her ultimate move. No matter what the thing tried against her, she would be able to bend its own force back onto itself.

The three took their positions surrounding the front of Weiss. Their weapons trained on him. Nero stood behind them. Once they were all in place, he turned his head and looked to the ground. The bleeding, broken remnants of his group were there. His own dark gaze focused on them. As he did…the air seemed to grow silent around them. It grew even colder than it already was. The sounds of moaning and writhing became even quieter and slighter.

One of them looked up to Nero. Face full of fear, lip trembling, he raised an arm to him in a gesture of begging for mercy…

Nero didn't react.

A moment later…and the Darkness came.

That was what Nero had used back in the terminal to kill the guards. The man had a completely unique power within him…the ability to manipulate corrupted Lifestream. Whereas the normal material gave life and was made of its purest form…corrupted Lifestream was a void of non-existence, a great black swallowing emptiness that was always hungry and never satisfied. It consumed flesh and spirit alike, giving a death that was at once completely horrible and yet completely silent. No one even had time to scream or think of what was happening to them before they were devoured by it. This weapon would have allowed Nero to slay all in the room within instants. However, he had wanted to draw it out before now. Yet at this time, there was no need to delay any longer.

As Nero focused…it came. A cloud of black mist began to form. Rather…numerous small ones began to appear, right next to each one of the fallen soldiers. It wasn't like real mist. It was opaque and swirling, with some sort of multicolored miasma poking out of it from time to time. When it came…it brought with it some sort of phantom inhaling sound, like some giant being in another dimension was breathing through it.

For a moment…the victims weakly looked out.

Nero didn't move…but the mist came in on all of them.

A moment later and all of them had vanished forever into oblivion.

No sound had been made. No screams. No agony. No thrashing. As Nero cleared the black mist…it was as if the eight had never existed. Soon it faded away into nothingness, and the floor was clear of all but the dead. Once this was done, Nero began to turn around.

Yet before he had fully done so, he was forced to shield himself along with the rest of the Tsviets.

Some explosion of blackness suddenly ripped out from Weiss. At least…that was what it seemed like. It was horrible. Nero received a taste of what his own Darkness might feel like as what appeared to be a pure black sphere of energy erupted from the man in front of them. All light was immediately consumed, and the air turned deathly cold. As it passed over them, the Tsviets felt as if all warmth had disappeared, and their bodies were suddenly plunged into the depths of space. They widened their eyes, but saw no light. They tried to breathe, but couldn't gasp. The air was sucked from their lungs. Everything went numb. Their muscles turned dead. Their nerves cut off. Everything about them suddenly felt like dark, heavy weights.

It was probably only seconds, but it felt like eternity. The Tsviets became nothing. They ceased to be. They were plunged into the dark world of death. But their souls and spirits could not be freed. They were forced to die as well. Feel nothing. Be nothing. Cease to exist. Be an inert piece of lifeless clay. They couldn't move. They couldn't breathe. They couldn't think. Their hearts ceased to beat. Their flesh turned to ice. Soon it went beyond death. For a brief moment…the Tsviets felt a sensation so foul and unholy that even God refused to punish His most traitorous creations with it…the sensation of non-existence.

Then…just as non-existence gives rise to the birth of a soul, it was over.

The blackness, all at once, was gone. The coldness was gone. They could breathe again. Their hearts were beating once more. Their muscles were again theirs, with no sign of numbness. Yet for a moment…they were paralyzed. The memory was fresh then. They remembered what it was to feel as if you were nothing. It didn't last, however. It began to vanish as quickly as the memory of a dream does when the dreamer wakes. And as the memory faded, they began to grow more limber and mobile. It took a bit longer than that before they could think of anything except what had happened again, but soon the memory reached the point where, outside of the dream, one begins to wonder why they were ever scared in the first place. It seems so unreal and impossible at that time. And when that happened, they were at last themselves again.

Only then were they able to look forward to the throne.

Weiss' head was bowed again. However…he was back. No excessive muscles. No scales beneath the skin. No gray flesh. He was exactly as he had been before…with one exception that all immediately picked up on.

He was breathing.

Almost immediately, Nero shot forward toward him. He fell to his knees in front of him, and looked out eagerly over his body. Azul and Rosso likewise stepped closer, staring on at him with anxiously to see what had happened.

Shelke, however, held her ground.

Where was the esper?

The other Tsviets seemed to have forgotten about that, especially Nero. Now that he was in front of Weiss again, he held out his own hands and clasped one of the man's.

"Brother? Can you hear me?"

For a few fateful moments, there was nothing in response.

Then…they saw it. The muscles in Weiss' eyelids tightened. A few seconds later…and they began to open. The Tsviets stood in silence as they watched. They were no longer yellow or serpentine, but rather the same color with the look of mako that they had been years ago. And as they opened, strength came into the neck of Weiss again. His head began to lift, and turned toward Nero. Once it was up enough, it came to a stop. He smiled softly.

"Brother Nero."

Nero shifted…almost seeming to tremble. The realization filled him with excitement. He realized it had happened. He had succeeded. Weiss was alive once again. The other Tsviets could hardly believe it. Although they knew that this was their objective, seeing it actually work seemed impossible. Yet here was the proof. Weiss was moving and speaking again.

The head of Nero bowed. It wasn't for certain…but the man appeared to be crying. Yet he didn't get much farther than shedding one or two tears. After that, he turned his head up, and immediately began to shift his grip.

"We found a way to repair the DNA damage within you brother. But we had to tie you down until…"

"There's no need to explain." Weiss calmly cut off, his look still plain and calm. "I know it all now."

The Tsviet hesitated at this, and looked up again.

"…You do?"

"I saw everything that the esper saw." Weiss calmly answered. "And everything that he knew became my knowledge when we were together. Not only that…but he has given me more gifts. There is no need to unstrap me now."

With that, Weiss made his hand into a fist. Exerting only a little strain…he proceeded to pop the first restraint completely off of his arm. The others were a bit surprised, and Nero actually drew back a bit as the metal fell into pieces around him. A moment later, and Weiss did the same with his other arm, popping that one off as well. He struggled a bit more, and soon successfully freed both of his upper arms. After that, he twisted both in front of him and grasped the straps there. With an easy tug combined with his chest tightening, he ripped those off as well. After that, the man simply raised up, accenting his own power and form, and once standing jerked his feet forward, one after the other, to rip his legs from their restraints. Once fully free, he cracked his neck and stood plainly. No signs of atrifution or exhaustion.

Nero drew back and rose, his eyes wide as he stared at his brother and master. Although he had been the one who proposed this and was glad for his recovery, he was amazed at how quickly it had happened. Weiss himself limbered up a bit more, before looking out to all of the Tsviets together.

"…I thank you all for making this discovery in my absence. Although you might not have realized it…you've found something far more valuable than a means to restore my life. Whatever entity was in that water which you gave me, it possessed incredible knowledge. Somehow this one was able to gain the knowledge of people who had died. Part of their own spirits fused with him and gave him a piece of their own consciousness. With all of their knowledge pieces working together, it's child's play to deduce and reason even more. And there's more than that. The entity gave me the power he bore in life as well. He's increased my own physical and mental abilities far above and beyond that of what I used to be. I'm more than restored. I'm even better than what I was."

Weiss kept smiling as he extended his arms and looked over his body. He seemed to marvel at it. "Where before I was an ignorant soldier with the power to destroy a hundred, I'm now practically omniscient with the power to slay thousands." He continued as he looked over himself. "I have knowledge of new abilities and techniques the likes of which I never thought possible. Now, it no longer matters to me whether or not we have troops or resources. We need none, now that this one great gift has fallen into our grasp."

The man put his arms down after that, and looked out to the other Tsviets. He kept smiling at them. Excitement seemed to course through him.

"And that is why I seek to give us even more power and knowledge. Power that is befitting only the greatest warriors…the Hellspawn of G…the Tsviets. This is my first command as your returned leader. Each one of you…go and take one of the samples that you recovered and bring it back here. A new and more powerful DeepGround is about to emerge."

Nero didn't even hesitate. Immediately, he placed one of his arms across his chest and gave a bow. "At once, my brother."

Rosso and Azul did a bit more. Unlike Nero, they had no bonds of affection for Weiss. Even though he was their leader, at heart they were Tsviets. They were always endeavoring to be the greatest themselves. However, both had been beaten hands down by this man years ago. Now that he had even greater powers, they couldn't hope to contend against them. And so, both of them gave their own bows.

That left Shelke.

The woman-in-girl's-clothing had to hesitate again. This didn't make sense. The transfer with the beasts did nothing like this. There was supposed to be another esper evoked. But there was none. Instead, Weiss had appeared to absorb the esper's identity. Was his personality that strong? That didn't seem possible. Weiss had been practically dead before now. He didn't have enough thoughts present to exert any type of personality, for good or ill. Yet what could she say? He looked like him…talked like him…acted like him…and Nero himself, who should have known him better than anyone, was at his beck and call. Shelke herself had sworn to live and die at the command of Weiss, so defiance at this point was not even truly an option. Nevertheless…she hesitated longer than any of the others as she gave a bow before Weiss.

Immediately, the four turned and began to depart. Weiss himself walked back and eased back into his throne, sitting casually now rather than slumping in it lifelessly. He smiled at them as they left. Shelke herself didn't look back, but just like the rest of them continued to move away. They slowly left the reactor room and entered into the maintenance corridor beyond. Once they were there, the heavy mako shield doors slid shut behind them. Weiss and them were separated.

Only then did Shelke, while still walking and looking otherwise calm, raise her information screen and cast a glance at it.

She saw what she expected…although, based on what Weiss had said, she didn't know what this meant for certain…

The energy level had peaked and surpassed its previous threshold…and remained fixed on Weiss' body.

* * *

The door slam made Azure jerk his head upward, before he had fully even noticed that someone new had entered the room. When he looked up, he watched as various posters and loose items in the room slowed down after the downdraft from slamming the door. He also saw his brother, fuming and nearly pacing. This was the first Azure had seen of him since yesterday, but the only real difference now was that he was back in his old clothing and had a bandage around his head. There was more, but Azure couldn't really see the pads in his mouth where the empty socket of his tooth was located.

He soon looked up to his brother, who looked almost fine except for a smaller bandage on one side of his forehead and a brace across his nose. Azure was still a fast healer, and by tomorrow he assumed that he could remove both of those as well despite what that girl had done to him.

"This isn't fair!" Denzel started off by shouting.

Azure grimaced a bit in response. "I guess mom gave you the bad news too."

"Why can't we practice?" Denzel practically shouted. "We should be practicing more than ever now if those guys show up again! We're not kids anymore! We don't have to hide at home!"

Azure gave a shrug. "Mom's just upset about what happened. We _did_ kind of get our butts kicked at the terminal. We could have even gotten killed."

Denzel kept his frown and walked over to his bed, turning and plopping down on it.

"And like that's never happened before? And mom and dad don't do it all the time? And if we're not supposed to risk our lives trying to help out people we love, then what _are_ we supposed to risk it for?"

Azure gave another sigh. "…Mom's worried about us. That's all. We aren't worried that much about mom or dad ourselves because they've been able to take care of themselves since we…or at least…you and Marlene…were younger and we thought they were invincible."

Denzel was about to speak again after frowing a bit more at this, but before he could a knock went out on the door. Both boys immediately looked up and turned to it.

"Who's there?" Denzel asked, his tone indicating he didn't want the person in if it was Tifa.

"It's Marlene."

Denzel backed down a bit after this, and shouted out again. "It's open."

A moment later, and the old, battered paint door swung inward. Marlene was framed in it, and she immediately stepped inside. This made it the first time she had actually managed to see the two since before they left for the airport. She hadn't even gotten a look at Azure when he came back the other day. She looked over at the both of them, and noticed the bandages on their heads. She looked shocked to see it.

"Oh…are you two alright?"

Azure gave a shrug. "It's nothing. You know how fast I heal."

Denzel was a bit more unhappy. "That bastard knocked out one of my teeth." Then, seeing that Marlene looked rather worried and horrified at that description, he gave a shrug. "It's nothing though. It was a wisdom tooth that had to come out anyway. Don't worry about it."

Marlene looked worried a bit longer. Yet in the end, she turned to a frown instead. "You really shouldn't swear so much, Denzel. Tifa's right. And are you sure you're alright? Tifa told me that you were fighting some big giant. Honestly, what were you thinking?"

Denzel began to frown more at this, getting a little exasperated as he turned to Marlene. "Are you going to get on my case too now?" He nearly shouted.

Marlene merely crossed her arms and stared back at him. "I know you, Denzel. I know you can be reckless when you fight sometimes. I've seen it since you were little. If what Tifa told me is true, you should have known that guy was too much for you from the beginning. You should have tried to distract him or lead him away, but you definitely shouldn't have just gone up to him and tried hitting him!"

The boy let out a groan and turned away. He looked moments from fuming or even saying something angry to Marlene for once. Yet before anything could come to mind…Marlene spoke up in a softer voice.

"…But that was still pretty brave of you." She admitted. "It was stupid…but it _was_ brave."

A good portion of Denzel's anger immediately evaporated. He turned back to Marlene with a bit of surprise, realizing she had just complimented him. A moment later, and he actually turned a bit red before looking away again. Azure looked out and noticed this, and couldn't help but crack a smile. Marlene always was good at improving their moods. And unlike how it had been six years ago, Azure felt no twangs of jealousy or rivalry. They weren't _quite_ to the point where they were seeing each other as more than childhood friends…although Azure would be lying if he said that he and Denzel alike hadn't found themselves staring at Marlene a lot more lately, especially since she had…developed. Yet after that event six years ago in the depths of Azure's soul, the boy knew forever and without a doubt that his friends would always love him, no matter what changed.

"But who were those guys, anyway?" Marlene finally asked, changing the subject and looking to both of them.

"They didn't look like they were with the New Shinra." Azure answered. "And they weren't any of those things that Hoeng had made."

"…Well, I don't know that about the guy I ran into." Denzel spoke up. "He definitely looked like he had animal in him. Other than him though, you're right. The other one was this creepy guy with metal wings. There was a woman who sounded like some vampire too."

"And don't forget the girl." Azure spoke up. His brow furrowed a bit afterward. "She was the weirdest to me…"

Denzel turned to him incredulously. "Oh, come on. She couldn't be nearly as bad as the giant."

"Well, she could do more than hit people and shoot a big gun." Azure answered. "But that wasn't what I was talking about. All of the others…even that guy in black…they all seemed to _want_ to do this. They all looked like they wanted to kill everyone in the room. But she didn't. She didn't seem to care one way or the other about anything. She actually was going to leave me alone _twice_. She told me to stay down the first time and pretend to be dead if I wanted to live."

Marlene looked rather intrigued at this. "Tifa didn't tell me about that… Do you think maybe they were forcing her to fight?"

"I sure don't think so." Denzel interrupted. "She beat up Azure pretty bad once she finally did fight." After that, he turned back to Azure and cracked something of a smile. "And you did a lot better than me. You actually cut her."

Azure was a bit hesitant. "Yeah…" He finally said halfheartedly.

The truth of the matter was that Azure wasn't completely sure he couldn't have left a more serious wound than a dermal slash. Throughout his entire encounter with the girl, he realized that his movements had been hesitant and reluctant. He seemed to have gotten serious enough once he was fighting for his life…but he had calmed down once he was on his knees. He was looking for the right opportunity to strike then. And he couldn't help but wonder if he had hesitated when he stabbed out that time…if he wanted her to not be hit…

"I'm not so sure, Denzel." Marlene continued. "I talked to Vincent this morning. He said he was looking for people who had been kidnapping lots of children. That's what he was doing when he ran into those big guys the other day. I'm wondering if that's what they're doing. Kidnapping kids and making them fight like that one girl."

Azure gave a shrug. "Well, there's one other thing too. I'm not sure that person was a girl."

Both of the others looked to him with puzzlement at this.

Azure leaned back a bit. "I mean…she looked like a girl and talked like one…but there was something wrong. Her eyes looked…older. She almost seemed like an older woman in a girl's body…"

"Are you serious?" Denzel asked. It wasn't a gesture of sounding incredulous. He wanted to make sure that Azure was clear about it. When his brother said nothing else, Denzel turned back to Marlene. "That sure sounds like someone's screwing around with genetics again, just like back with that machine that blended people…"

The three of them were silent for a moment after that. Countless misfortunes had arisen from Hoeng's machines. Many of them were rather nightmarish. The thought that even something remotely related to that was still kicking around made them nervous.

In the end, Denzel turned to Marlene again.

"Marlene? Can you call your dad and ask if we can hang around your house for a change? I want to see if I can practice over there…"

* * *

Here they were.

The four Tsviets had returned to Weiss' throne room. Each one now possessed a separate cylinder in their hands. The floor had already been cleared of its human remains. It was likely that Weiss had called in some Red Saucers that had cleaning duties to scour the floors of blood and entrails. As for the rest of the bodies…he might have simply moved them into the mako pit himself. At any rate, the room was now quite empty save for all five Tsviets together. Weiss himself sat calmly in his throne while the other four surrounded him in a half circle. He looked rather eager and pleased as his fingers tapped against the arm of his chair.

Shelke saw this…and despite her normally stoic expression, continued to feel uncomfortable. Her eyes flickered down again to the cylinder of a sample that she herself had picked up.

_Decay(?)_

The girl almost felt herself swallow, despite the fact that she felt she was "above" fear at this point. She had a pretty good idea of why Weiss had them do this. And if she was right, then she was rather uneasy.

Shelke herself was standing behind the other three. Rosso was in the middle ahead of her. Nero was on his left while Azul stood to his right. They were silent now. The reactor slowly continued to run behind them. Weiss sat calmly for the moment. Shelke stared on at him obediently…and found something else too.

Subconsciously…she looked for signs of any yellow eyes, talons, chin projections…

"We have brought them, brother."

"Excellent." Weiss responded. "Now…unscrew them and drink the contents."

Shelke had been expecting this and stayed calm, although actually hearing the request now unnerved her. Azul and Rosso actually did look confused. And as for Nero…the man hesitated for the briefest moment before doing something he had never done before. He questioned Weiss.

"…Brother?" He asked, genuinely sounding hesitant…torn between obedience and the fact that he couldn't understand what that meant.

"DeepGround is dying, Nero." Weiss answered. "Even if we were to glean choice candidates for a decade, we would never regain our former power. Yet we no longer need to. The five of us are all that DeepGround needs now. We need only drink from these essences, and each one of us will receive power and might far above and beyond that of any mortal. That's to say nothing of intelligence."

"But…" Nero found himself saying, still hesitating. "We will be possessed, just as you were…"

"A trifle." Weiss responded. "With my new ability, regardless of what comes into you I will best it. And once I do, I will ensure that it regenerates its power as quickly as possible, so that you will be restored and with more abilities than ever before."

"Shouldn't we…do this one at a time?"

"We've been delayed long enough." Weiss answered. However, here…his look began to grow annoyed. "…Why do you question me, Nero?"

The man in black hesitated here, and seemed to grow more uncomfortable. "I…merely was pointing out the risks…"

"There is no risk." Weiss responded. "I have confirmed that."

"But brother…"

"Do you not trust me?"

Nero froze on hearing this. He was silent for a moment.

"…You know I will always trust you, brother."

"…But I will not."

Hearing this sudden statement, both Weiss and Nero looked up and around. They soon saw Azul staring back at them with an irritable expression.

"I've been transformed enough. I have no desire to allow anything else into my body to control my flesh, even for a brief period."

"And I don't need this." Rosso threw in, causing the others to look back to her. "I have plenty of power, and I would not entrust my skill to some lowly animal."

Weiss seemed to be growing rather irritated at this point. He looked around at them and saw the defiance. In the end, he turned and looked to the one who was still silent.

"…Well, do you too not wish to voice your objections, Shelke the Transparent?" He nearly spat outward.

The girl paused for the briefest moment.

"…I am subservient to DeepGround." She finally stated.

"Well answered." Weiss responded, and immediately looked around to the others. "Do not forget that you all are pledged to live and die and my command. And right now, I consider this to be as much disobedience as refusing to carry out any other order of mine. I'm seeking to do something for the betterment of DeepGround. If you wish to be part of it, then do as I say. If you refuse, then I will give you a proper execution for insubordination. What do you choose?"

The Tsviets hesitated. They all knew full well that they couldn't beat Weiss before, even as one. Now he was clearly more powerful. And he meant it to. Weiss didn't tolerate any form of dissidence, and neither should he have. Such things were not welcome in DeepGround. Not in the old order and not now. You were defined as the leader by your ability to enforce your will. And Weiss still had that power.

Still, one might argue that they should have disobeyed. They should have thought that it was too soon to cast about this mysterious new resource when they had so little knowledge. They hadn't even time to find out the true reason Malcolm and Roon had become separate beings from the espers, and they didn't know where the esper that they had seen had vanished. And why did Weiss absorb this esper instead of releasing it? Could his internal chemistry really have been that different? Or was it some other reason?

In either case, it didn't matter. They were trained to obey, not to think. And the far majority of denizens in DeepGround were practically child-like in their lack of ability to lead or think of bigger matters. Even ones like Azul had, for all intensive purposes, only been grunts or thugs who were used to operating for larger people, ones who took responsibility and directed them like guard dogs. And none of them were going to try to fight Weiss, especially not if the penalty of loss would be death. Lastly, there was Nero. He trusted Weiss more than anyone else. And even though he had a brief taste of leadership himself, he did not wish to disobey.

In the end…only one of the four still remained standoffish.

After a long pause, the four made their answer.

Nero was first. He removed the top of his cylinder, then reached up and unfastened a strap from his mouth. After that, he drank it.

Rosso let out a bit of a sneer, but then, even going so far as to stick out her smallest finger, she sipped hers like some sort of tea.

Azul didn't bother hesitating. With a grunt, he pulled it up and dumped it down his throat.

Shelke turned her eyes down to her own. She stared at it motionlessly for a moment…before slowly reaching up and removing the top. After that…she only very slowly brought it to her lips. She brought the rim up to it, and actually touched her own lips against it. The liquid began to tilt back. It nearly touched her mouth.

Right before it could…Shelke saw something.

A vision of something inside the water. Very large. Very…unnatural. Something rasping and panting and waiting desperately for Shelke to take that sip and free it…

It was then that Shelke, after a brief pause, did something she never thought she'd do again after her last beating almost a decade ago. She disobeyed a direct order from Weiss.

She didn't show it, of course. She made it look as if she had taken a drink. She even swallowed to make it look as if it went down her throat. After that, she calmly removed it, replaced the cap, and then brought it to her side. She wasn't sure what she had just done. She didn't know where she was going to go from here. Was she going to fake it? Was she going to risk letting Weiss know she hadn't drank anything? For a brief moment, she even thought of apologizing, as pointless as that would be, and then ask to run further tests or to help restrain the others.

She had no time.

By the time she put her arm back down at her side, the reaction had begun.

Nero, the first to drink, clutched his chest as his eyes bulged. He bent over and opened his mouth. However…he didn't gasp or choke. On the contrary. He began to breathe out. The sound of air rushing out of his lungs began to come forth. Yet it didn't stop after a normal blast of air. It continued to come forth. In fact, it only seemed to get stronger. Soon his face began to turn red as he kept blowing. He began to reach for his face, and Shelke realized he couldn't stop.

Rosso was completely different. Suddenly, her eyes glazed over, her head bowed…and she began to babble. At first it was nothing. Shelke could barely hear her. Yet as it continued, it eventually grew into an audible whisper. Her head slowly began to raise, and as it did she began to speak in a quiet voice. She continued to get louder, however. Shelke began to hear almost a tone in the voice…

That was before the ground shook violently. It did again a moment later, making Shelke turn her head to the side.

A frightening sight awaited her. Wisps of energy were dancing around the body of the blue colored Tsviet…as his flesh began to shred and peel off from his body. Underneath, the muscles were covered with blue scales that were neither reptile nor aquatic, and they bulged considerably, making the previous giant look even bigger and more of a hulking giant than ever before. His limbs twisted and snapped as his hands deformed into claws. His face looked into the sky and gave a yell…but it was no longer his own roar. It was something terrible and bestial as his features twisted and deformed. His upper lip split into a cleft as his teeth grew larger, and his cat eyes seemed to gleam. His already messy blue hair grew down his back and arose from scales as he continued to hulk and grow. Soon, he was the size of a semi.

This alone would normally not unsettle Shelke. This, after all, wasn't anything new. It was Azul's true nature given flesh form, the result of experimentation by Shinra Inc. In a way, he _had_ been some sort of fusion creature just as the mad scientist Hoeng had made. Yet in his case, he had transformation genes linked to his responses in times of extreme pain and anger. The genes themselves were of a behemoth itself, and that is what Azul became. A large, powerful, and bloodthirsty behemoth. He had dubbed this form of himself, "Arch Azul".

The problem was…he hadn't received extreme pain. At least, not directly. And now he was turning into it…

Shelke turned her gaze in front of her…and caught Weiss. For a brief moment, she saw him. She watched as Nero fell on his back turning purple, the air blasting out from him seeming to rip at his lips. Rosso was beginning to waver around, her voice getting louder and looking more and more crazed by the moment. Arch Azul was approaching his final form, and was beginning to dig his talons into the ground and scrape long rifts of steel ribbons. And through it all…Weiss watched in contentment and pleasure.

Shelke realized that he had been expecting this. And if so…then she realized that she should have been doing it as well.

The girl didn't know what to do...but on seeing Weiss like that, something told her not to look for pity or forgiveness. She had to fake it. She thought quickly. She reasoned that she had picked up "decay". Alright…so that meant it should be something like poison or rot infesting her. She realized if she wanted to keep this up…she had to make it look like it was working. Act like she was in pain. But it was inconceivable. That was another reason it was shocking to see the Tsviets like this. They didn't show pain or agony. They didn't know what it meant to feel it. She herself had long since trained her body to forget pain and misery…to feel only the need to obey. How could she force herself to think like that?

That was…until Shelke remembered her wound.

It wasn't much. It had already been sealed closed. However, it was the only brush with pain she had. She had to try it.

Immediately, Shelke bowed her head and began to look as if she was ill, dropping the closed cylinder as she did. At least…she hoped she looked ill. As she did, she reached out her arms and wrapped them around her middle. While doing so, and trying to stagger, her fingers on one hand found their way to the wound. Immediately, she focused her own power…and drove it forward into the flesh. As much as she could, she dug her fingers into the injury and made it flare up in pain again.

It wasn't much, but she indulged it. It was hard. She hadn't responded to pain in so long… Yet she did now. She made herself feel it. She forced her body to forget all of the walls and barriers to her emotions she had made. It was impossible to do it completely, but she did get some through. She let the pain strike her…and then made herself feel it all over her body. She forced herself to remember what agony was…what it meant to be experimented on…to feel yourself turning into something inhuman…

It worked. Closing her eyes and clenching them in a mimcry of agony, she gave out a moan as she fell to the ground and grasped her stomach. Immediately, she tried to think of sickening things. Maggots on a corpse. Eating rotten food. Extreme gravity training. Choking on your own nasal phlegm. And soon, she was able to force herself to do even better. She managed to heave. She tried to let it go, but it wouldn't come any further. So she did the next best thing.

Pretending to writhe, she suddenly made like it spiked and rolled over on her belly. She hunched up and put her rear to Weiss. Then, once there…she quickly dipped a finger into her mouth and reached all the way into the back of her throat. Success. A moment later, and she was throwing up lunch.

As Shelke continued to fake it, the others grew worse. Nero was now flinging himself madly on the floor. His chest looked like it was swelling almost, and the gust of air that he was blasting out actually whipped his hair around him. His eyes were blank and horrified…but also, deep down inside…betrayed. Rosso was engaged in a mad dance now, flinging herself between the others. She wasn't mumbling anymore. She was singing. And it was getting louder and more off key as she went along. The lyrics were horrible…actually in some terrible black language the likes of which Shelke didn't know existed. They actually made your stomach turn and your spine chill. And then there was Arch Azul. He was fully a behemoth now, smashing his feet again and again on the ground, bashing holes into the platform, making some roaring sound that he had never made before. It sounded like agony and anguish. It was like some twisted cacophony of damned souls singing in unison. Perhaps it was. And yet, through all of this, Weiss remained totally unchanged and calm. Shelke saw this…and as she continued to thrash about, looking as if her stomach was about to explode, she thought clearly.

_After all of this…Weiss would have shown something. Anything. Especially about Nero._

_…Something's changed._

Yet before Shelke could ponder this a moment longer…it ended.

Nero's body went totally limp and splayed out. Rosso, in the middle of some mind-numbing note, cut herself off and fell to the ground like a puppet with strings cut. Even massive Azul craned his head to the sky once more…before sprawling out and going limp. Fortunately, the girl's senses were keen and her reflexes swift. Immediately, she went flaccid as well. She appeared to pass out with her eyes open…but in reality left them like that so she could keep watching. The chamber went still and silent again. Only Weiss still stood, and patiently waited. All was dead and quiet for a few precious seconds.

Then the people began to come back to life.

Very slowly, the "paw" of Arch Azul slid back and put itself underneath his body. Another of his four soon did so, and once there began to push. Rosso herself let out a small groan, and as one hand went to her head the other went underneath her and started to rise. Nero twisted a bit, before beginning to bend upward. Seeing this…Shelke soon began to mimic it as well. Soon, she had to mimic more than that. As they all rose, they began to look confused. They turned their heads over to their bodies and then appeared puzzled. As they began to stand, wobbly and unsteady, they looked even more confused at what they looked like as well as their surroundings. Yet through it all, Weiss continued to stand calm.

As they finished rising, none of them turned violent. Shelke tried to continue to look like one of them while observing them. There were changes. Arch Azul didn't look any larger…but he was acting like some beast. He was sniffing himself and the area, and barring his teeth frequently to let out a growl in between each smell. What Shelke did notice is that his scales formed two images near his shoulders now. They were odd…looking like pictures of Arch Azul's own face.

Nero wasn't as reserved in his movements anymore. He was far more loose now…bending his arms up and looking them over, before tilting his head in a big circle and looking to the other. There was definitely no trace of Nero's original personality in that. This new one seemed far more foppish…far more emotional… Shelke had never gotten a good look at his mouth before…and now she thought she realized why it might have been good to keep it covered. It almost looked like it was _off center…_

Then there was Rosso. She was as confused as the others…but also far more voluptuous now. She actually stretched in a manner to accent her breasts and ran her hands back through her hair. She seemed to scowl when she realized that it was short and stiff…although it did look a bit longer. She cast her eyes around at everyone, including Shelke. When Shelke saw them…she realized they had turned purple. Not only that…but there was some new quality about them. They seemed very large…very deep…almost like water…or ocean waves gently rolling into the shore… Shelke could almost hear it…

Then she looked away. Almost immediately, Shelke snapped her head once. To her surprise, her memory of the last few moments seemed hazy. Almost dream-like…

This woman, whoever was in Rosso now, turned and looked back to Weiss. Soon after, she spoke out to him. Her voice was challenging and sharp…but that wasn't all. Something was strange about it. It seemed strangely melodic…fair…flowing… And yet it wasn't entirely pleasant. As a matter of fact, it had some sort of strange quality about it…like it didn't just make you think of relaxation. It made you remember…lusts…sinful pleasures…

"You. Who are you?"

Shelke turned back to Weiss soon after. Fortunately, he seemed more attentive on the others than her at the moment. They too turned back to her soon after.

The man himself cracked a smile…

…Stretching his grin unnaturally far. It went all the way to his jaw line.

"Of course." He stated. "Introductions should come first. Just allow me to change into something more…fitting."

The man stretched out his hand. A second later, and the sound of flesh ripping occurred. To Shelke's shock, though she dared not show it, long, blood-red talons made of bone or scale literally shredded the tips of his hand and came out. The muscle within him began to stretch and strain again. But this time, it wasn't just enlargement. His skin actually began to rip and bleed to accommodate it. Soon, his boots stretched and ripped as matching talons came out. Another tearing sound followed, this time sounding like bone breaking…and soon Shelke watched as a long coil of black, smooth tail ripped out from behind the man and spilled out on the ground around behind him. It immediately began to move on its own, like some black viper.

Parts of Weiss' hair fell out…and moments later part of his scalp came with it as a black crest of horns came out from the side of his head. A second later, and his chin erupted into a bloody mess as a jutt of black horn came out from it and extended almost to his chest. With a look of glee, he reached up into his own mouth and proceeded to start ripping out his own teeth. As he did…larger, crueler, _sharper_ ones filled in. Not only that. A sulfurous odor began to come out…mixed with the smell of flesh both rotting and burning.

Another rip went out, and long lengths of Weiss' skin tore off and extended down his back, forming long strips like rags of clothing. With some sound like wet membranes tearings, a massive set of black wings, almost like shadows, came out. Long, cruel hooks for talons were on the ends of them, like massive demon bat wings. The black ebony didn't stay that way long…but soon the ends of it seemed to dye themselves blood red.

Two more short horns, like a bull's came out from his forehead, letting blood run down in long, painting streaks over Weiss' face as it happened. The crests and his chin now formed a great horned upside-down triangle over his head. The great black wings spread over his body, hooking the two claws together to form some sort of "clasp" in front of his neck. The wings themselves seemed to almost melt over his form, becoming like some great black robe of blood and shadow.

This done, the "man" stepped backward and eased himself back into his throne. Immediately…the metal warped. It seemed to become some sort of living liquid, and it grew long sharp spikes that were barbed and hooked. Huge metal horns formed on top of the chair, and steel skulls began to spread out alongside it. It went from being a metal life support system to look like a throne from hell.

Inside, the man did one last thing. He reached his talons up and dipped them into his own eye sockets. There was a crushing sound…then a rush of white liquid down his cheeks…before he ripped his old eyes out.

Beyond, the yellow ones, gleaming like lights meant to pierce into the darkness within one's own soul, were revealed. They were serpentine.

Shelke had sworn off fear a decade ago. Yet that didn't change the fact that she had to exert every fiber of her being to control it now as she realized the truth.

_We were wrong. Weiss didn't absorb the esper._

_The esper absorbed _him._ It took his image…and wore it like a disguise…_

The thing in the chair exhaled a blast of rotten, sulfurous air. Shelke saw heat pour from his mouth as he did so. Soon she became conscious that the strips of flesh, still acting as a partial disguise for the true thing beneath, were being slowly roasted. Some sort of infernal heat was coming from the body of this thing. It was more intense in the center. She saw Weiss' old lips begin to blister and crack from the heat as he breathed.

His voice was deep and seemed to make the area shake.

"Call me…Diablos."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	9. Second Skin

This chapter has actually been finished for a while. However, I didn't want to post until I had the next chapter written as well. That's why it took so long.

BTW, for all those of you who were waiting and waiting for me to follow up on the "Siren" cliffhanger way back in "The Chaos Legacy", I'm finally here.

_

* * *

_

_Oh no…_

_What now, you dumb snake?_

_More presences have just left the Lifestream. At least three this time._

_This is crazy. Isn't there some consequence to just ripping one spirit after another out of here?_

_I don't know…but I can't worry about that right now. I can already sense _him_…_

_…You're right, Bahamut. I can sense him as well. We're not supposed to be able to sense _anything_ in here though. That means it's something that's scaring the Planet itself. It seems impossible. He only left the Lifestream a few hours ago, and he's already at full power…_

_Must mean he's been busy hacking up the humans, eh?_

_Let me try to… Sigh…_

_What's wrong?_

_Not her…_

_Leviathan, what is it?_

_One of the spirits that left. I know which one is missing._

_Who?_

_Starlet's foulest offspring._

_…_

_…We forced her to obey our laws. Perhaps…_

_With no other espers besides Quetzacoatl to enforce our rules against non-involvement?_

_…You have a point._

_Who are you both talking about?_

_…I need to go back._

_What? No! It's too soon, Bahamut!_

_I didn't tire myself out at all last time. I have enough stamina._

_I have to insist with Terra, Bahamut. Not now. It was risky enough to go once. To go again so quickly…_

_…_

_Bahamut!

* * *

_

Nero…or whatever was in him…immediately raised his fingers underneath his nose and seemed to run them across his lips, still moving in that foppish manner.

"Diablos, eh?" He spoke aloud. His voice had changed too. Now it was light and airy…almost flippant… "I thought you were just a boogieman made up to scare us when we were kids…"

One of Diablos' legs crossed over the other, and he folded his taloned hands in front of him as he leaned back. "Oh, I was." He calmly answered. "At least, for the most part. But that's in the past now. Now I have a body." He grinned wider here, and dipped his volume. "And I want a _lot_ more than that."

A loud snarl, like that of two lions growling together, peeled out from the side. The result made everyone turn their attention to Arch Azul, who was clenching his fist and digging his talons into the ground. He looked furious.

_"Why have you brought us here!"_ He spat in a bellowing voice. Shelke wasn't sure…but she almost thought she could hear sounds coming from his shoulders… _"And what have you done to us!"_

Diablos frowned and gave a snort. "You'd think you'd be grateful to the one who saved you from death."

Rosso crossed her arms. "Saved from death? Looks like we're in some version of Hell to me…"

"Yes, well…lovely décor aside, I assure you that this is the land of the living." Diablos answered, gesturing around himself as he did.

_"What do you mean, 'saved from death'?"_ The monster blasted. _"When was I about to die, huh?"_

Diablos let out a snort. "…I didn't think you'd remember. The only reason I knew immediately was because I have the advantage of having more than one person inside me. Why not try and think of the last thing you remember?"

_"I don't take orders from bugs!" _Arch Azul bellowed. _"Tell me where I am!"_

Diablos frowned even further here. It was obvious that he was getting annoyed. Arch Azul didn't care. He continued to tear ribbons into the floor. His teeth were gnashed and nearly foaming. His eyes blazed with anger and fury. He looked almost ready to force Diablos to do what he wanted.

In response…the thing turned his head and looked Arch Azul straight in the eye.

The change was almost instant. As the eyes met…Arch Azul's lips slowly came back over his mouth. His muscles relaxed. His claws retracted. To Shelke's surprise…his tail actually came back, seeming to almost go under his legs. His ears tried to push back as well. He began to cringe, and shrank back from Diablos. Once he was this far, the thing simply looked away from him.

_"What…what are you?"_ A much meeker Arch Azul asked.

"I already told you." Diablos answered. "Now…I suggest you follow my directive and try to remember the last thing that happened to you."

The others stayed quiet after this. None of them knew exactly how Diablos had managed to silence Arch Azul, or whatever was in him, so easy…but they weren't going to find out. They hesitated a moment longer, but then began to concentrate.

After a moment, it was whatever was Nero that spoke up.

"Oh…I don't know. Another one of the countless battles I was shipped out in I suppose. A rather big one, at that. At least a hundred of us on either side. I saw some giant one covered with spines, and he was taking out a lot on my side. So I thought I'd inhale him into my air sac and take him for a spin. Well…the inhale part worked out…" He paused after saying this, and began to look confused. "But then…something else happened…" He hesitated, but then gave a shrug. "Then it was over. I was right here."

Arch Azul's body grunted once, seeming to come out of the original fear, and then muttered his own. _"The Fiend was trying to stab the Demon in the back. So I lunged at him. I actually got my teeth on his arm…but then some force threw me off. I landed hard and saw him point his finger at me. Then that's it. Next thing I know I'm here. And though you share some of his resemblance, I know you aren't him. You smell too different."_

The woman herself seemed to be thinking more about this. Although Shelke couldn't see her eyes, they were even more faraway than before, focusing on what she was hearing.

"Well…what you two are talking about happened at least 1,000 years ago. I remember the battles well. But I escaped from my masters, along with the rest of the surviving espers. We fled back to Terratopolis and sealed the gate. For a thousand years were enjoyed a world without damnable humans…" The woman began to tense up at this, actually clenching one of her hands into a fist as she spoke. Irritation…even hate…began to build in her.

"…Then he let that bitch in. She brought the others, and they captured us. They used us in even worse ways than the Triad. It wasn't enough for them to use us as their pets or weapons. They literally began to suck the life out of us…leaving us desiccated pieces of magicite. I wanted out so badly that I even went to Ramuh. I knew he was the only one who could short out the systems in the tubes. So I befriended him. We got our plan completely together. I charmed the scientists into letting the safeties go…Ramuh shorted out the tube systems…ol' 'Stray' confused the guards…and Kirin infused us with enough power to not run out of stamina. But as we began to run for it…they brought out those machines…"

Rosso slowed down here. Her eyes widened.

"Those damn machines… I could sense dead espers in them…screaming in agony and misery… I heard them screaming right until they aimed that cannon at me…"

The woman stopped. She spoke no more. However…the story was becoming clear. All of them were starting to realize the truth. Each one of their stories had one thing in common. Imminent death…followed by them reappearing here. All three of them had the same…

However, Shelke stopped thinking there. She suddenly realized there was supposed to be more than three. There was supposed to be four. And now…with the others silent…Diablos turned his gaze up to her. The others began to turn around and look to her as well.

The girl nearly froze up. What could she say? She didn't have an esper in her. She could make up something like they were, but she didn't have enough memories to bluff her way through. She had to do something… At last, one idea presented itself to her. She began to speak out. Unfortunately…the cold emotionlessness of Shelke was still more than obvious on her voice. Yet she spoke none the less.

"What are you saying?" She called out to Diablos. "That we died? That we've come back as these people?"

"_You _said that. Not me." Diablos answered with a smile.

The four were silent. They could have denied it…but even the big one didn't do so. He stayed still and held his position with the others as they realized what the thing had told them. Slowly, the three began to realize it was true. They could remember seeing death stare them in the face. They could actually visualize some of the pain as well. And then…they realized that they remembered a long period of nothing. And within that nothing, they vaguely remembered things. Espers who were long gone… The truth began to become obvious. Denial would be pointless.

"…So what's happened to the world?" The woman finally asked.

"Little of what you remember remains. Eventually your entire race was the victim of genocide. There are none of you left, and humans are in complete control of the Planet. They've chopped down the forests, plowed down the hills, and fouled the oceans in the goal of remaking the world in their image. By now, you espers are little more than myths to them. They've already forgotten about you after making you extinct, and they're following up with destroying the other non-human species on Gaia."

Arch Azul's teeth bared as he snarled again.

"Hmph…filthy little rats…" Nero spoke up, folding his arms around himself and turning his head to the side.

"If that is true, then I should like to kill you for bringing me here." The woman nearly spat. "What purpose did you return us to this human infested world for? To be trapped inside the bodies of these apes and live as wraiths as we see them live off our world like maggots on a dead carcass?"

_"I'll tear them all apart…"_ The big one grunted. _"Make them pay…make them bleed…"_

"And I'm sure you'll make a nice piece of magicite as well once they inevitably kill you again." Diablos answered with a snort. "You were all the playthings of humans in your previous lives. Now that they're far stronger and more advanced, what will you do?"

The giant snarled, but bowed his head and said no more.

"As for your bodies, don't worry about that. You're simply in a low power form at the moment." Diablos continued. "Once you've absorbed enough of your innate element, you'll be restored to full power with a body that's far more pleasing to you. It might not be exactly what you looked like, but it will suffice. But that still brings back the essential question. Where do you go from here? Do you live like recluses until humanity decides to capture you and use you as they once did? Or do you engage in some futile act of revenge…taking maybe a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand with you?"

"Hmm…" Nero spoke up. "Do you have a better plan up your sleeve?"

"Maybe I do and maybe I don't." Diablos answered…although he began to crack a smile here. "That all depends on the rest of you. Would you mind introducing yourselves?"

The other three hesitated for a moment. However, in the end, it seemed they had nothing better to do. The one in Nero gave a sigh and unfolded his arms, going into a more graceful bow.

"Pandemona." He stated. "That's 'Pande_mona'_, mind you. Not 'Pande_monia_'. Wind is my element. I rather like it. It's such a chaotic element that there're few humans that can master it. And it has nothing that opposes it either. Makes it such a lovely tool."

"I agree." Diablos answered, keeping his smile. After that, he turned his head over to Arch Azul. "And what's your name?"

_"Don't talk to me as if I were your pet or friend!"_ The beast snarled in reply, but then backed down. _"I am Cerberus. Hound of the Demon. I need not worry about elements or weaknesses. I am powerful and strong…but most importantly quick. Nothing can match my ability or speed in unleashing attacks."_

"Quite a title." Diablos simply answered with a smile. Cerberus still seemed to take this as an insult, and gave a snarl in response. After saying this, Diablos turned his head to the woman. "And you, my lady?"

The woman coolly crossed her arms. She seemed to like that Diablos was taking an interest in her. The result made her a bit straighter and taller, and appeared a bit more seductive in her movements and posture.

"I am the Siren." She responded. "I delight in discord and misery…but, most of all, weaving my magic over lesser mortals…_especially_ humans. So if you do have any 'plans' in mind, if any of them involve living alongside humanity, you can forget it."

"Not at all, my lady." Diablos answered, actually giving something a bow to her himself. Shelke, for a moment, tried to think of something to say. She wasn't familiar with any espers. She thought she would have to make one up…but it turned out such was never necessary. The thing looked up and out to them all, extending his arms to them.

"Fate has been far kinder to you than you might believe." Diablos continued. "Each one of you is blessed. Though the rest of your species has died, you have come forth to issue in a new era for Gaia. And fortune has been good in bringing you to life here, in this place, with certain means at your disposal that you would not find anywhere else. Most importantly…" Diablos lowered his hands here, and smiled large enough to accent his teeth. "Your destiny has given you the greatest leader of all…me."

Pandemona gave a chuckle immediately. Cerberus snarled. Siren gave a snort, losing her seductive edge once again.

"…And why do you think that you make such a great leader for our kind? Or that we would ever wish to follow you?"

"My power is undeniable." Diablos answered. "And to espers such as you, power is all that matters. That's to say nothing of my ability to recharge your powers far faster and quicker than you would normally. Most importantly, however…is what I possess. That is knowledge. Knowledge far above and beyond that of any other esper…even great Leviathan himself. I have culled thousands upon thousands of techniques, spells, tactics, inventions, dark arts, geographic terms, skills, and secrets from thousands upon thousands of sources. Now that I have a body, I can direct them all and apply them. I have already the workings of a master plan to make this world suitable for espers and to place mankind in its rightful spot as our servants. Obey me…and I will give you dominion over entire continents. One for each of you…my great generals…my progenitors of a new esper race. Do so and I will give you power and slaves to wait on you hand and foot, day and night, for all eternity. Monuments can be erected in your honor, and you can be worshiped as gods. Best of all, you will have your ultimate revenge upon humanity. Separately, you are nothing compared to mankind. Even you four united stand no chance against them. But together, under me…victory is absolute."

_"And what's in it for you?"_ Cerberus snorted.

Diablos kept his smile. "Simply the knowledge that there is one absolute ruler in this world over all of the sub-rulers."

"I don't suffer masters." Siren responded. "Forget it."

"You don't have to serve me, of course." Diablos responded, his smile fading again. "You're free to leave. And once the soldiers in this complex realize that you are possessing in the body of one of their leaders, they'll shoot you to death on sight. None of you have enough power or control of your bodies to even put up a decent fight at this point. You'll never even see daylight again."

The three hesitated and looked upset at this.

Pandemona let out another light laugh. "So…this is the real nature of our bargain, Mr. Diablos?" He asked him. "Serve you or die?"

"This world is death to all of us." Diablos answered. "You only have yet to realize it. Our only chance at life is together. All of you are wild and independent. I alone possess the ability to make you work as a team and achieve a desired result. The choice is yours."

The espers hesitated after this for a short time. They turned and looked to each other, including to Shelke, before looking to the ground and murmuring to themselves. They thought over the terms of this small agreement. Diablos himself patiently waited, easing back down into his throne and tapping his long talons on the arms.

At last, Siren turned back to him.

"I wish to know only one thing…" She began. "If I work underneath you…will I get to make humans suffer inhumanely?"

Diablos smiled again. "Join me, my lady…and I'll personally guarantee one million lives shall be your playthings."

Siren hesitated for a moment longer.

Then…her seductive smile returned as she drew herself up in a more voluptuous pose.

"Then anything for you…my lord."

"That's one." Diablos answered with his own smile, and then turned his head out, almost expectingly, to Cerberus.

The esper snarled in response, but stayed somewhat subdued.

_"So long as we're bargaining…nine cattle a day."_

"Done." Diablos answered. "That's two." After saying this, he turned over to the next one.

Pandemona merely let out a light chuckle. "I have nothing better to do. This sounds amusing. I always did have a bit of a penchant for causing chaos, after all. I'm in."

"And that's three." Diablos responded.

To Shelke, he had a sudden air of finality in his voice. However, she knew there were supposed to be four "espers" in this room. If that was the case, then…

"Now then, first things first…"

He may have not been Weiss, but he could be just as fast.

In a flash…he had crossed the distance between himself and her. The other espers didn't even see him pass in between them before he had already stopped again. Shelke shrank back and, despite herself, let out a little gasp.

The towering black and blood figure with the yellow eyes stood over her, seeming to bury her under his darkness.

The smell of roasted flesh and brimstone was almost overwhelming.

Shelke was frozen for a moment. Actually frozen. She hadn't locked up completely and against her will in the face of certain danger since before she could remember. In DeepGround, after all, to hesitate was to die. Something managed to snap her out of it, however. Her hands began to rise and go for her poles. Yet by the time she had drawn them out and ignited them…she realized it was too late. Even before he did anything, Shelke was too keen in battle to expect that Diablos couldn't have had more than enough time to plot a reaction.

There was only one chance. She began to focus her own abilities on the man in front of her, waiting for him to flare up…try to smack her down with one mighty blow…

Shelke realized too late that if he truly had Weiss within him, he also knew what she was planning. He did nothing of the sort. Instead…his taloned hands with the scales and the flesh peeling shot out and seized either weapon. The move was quick as a flash. Immediately, it became a steel vise around either one. The girl turned her head down and looked to them…and didn't bother struggling. She knew it was hopeless before even trying anything. That was obvious enough by the fact that although Diablos should have been burned and electrocuted by the rods…nothing was happening.

A moment later, and Diablos calmly snapped his wrists.

A sound like breaking reeds went out as both rods were broken in two. A sizzle of electricity went through the air as the rods powered down and ineffectually sparked from the now naked wires within them, vainly trying to charge again. In truth, they were still probably fairly deadly tools even now. However, it hadn't been Diablos' intention to destroy them completely. He was just showing her what he could do if she tried to goad him.

The rods were calmly tossed aside, and the hands returned to the sides as Diablos glared down on her. She suddenly felt far smaller and weaker than she ever had in front of Azul.

"You didn't really think you were fooling me, did you Shelke?" He asked.

The Tsviet didn't know how to answer. _What_ to answer. The other espers were now turning to her, a bit surprised at how fast Diablos had moved, but now staring down at the two of them. The girl just tried to figure out a way out of this. Tried to think of something to do before Diablos decided to smash her flat…

Hence, she was a bit surprised at what he did finally say when he spoke.

"You don't have to be scared, Shelke."

This actually caught the girl off guard.

"Just because we're establishing a new order doesn't mean we can't be lenient with some of you. Certain individuals among your species might stand to benefit…and benefit very greatly. I know what this place did to you, Shelke. They took you away from your mother and your sister. They tortured you. They tried to kill your soul. However, you have great capabilities that could be of use to us. If you consent to serve me, I'll make sure you are well rewarded. I'll help you get back what you lost. You can even be one of the nobility of our new world."

With that, the esper turned his palm over and stretched out his hand to Shelke. The bloody flesh was still there, scantly covering the taloned hand behind it. He was offering it to her.

Shelke was silent. She looked down to his hand, and then back up to him. The other espers began to tense up somewhat, however. In particular, Cerberus, on realizing a human was there, was beginning to growl and extend his claws. However, he held back. Perhaps he was too afraid of Diablos. Siren and Pandemona seemed more patient. At any rate, none of them made a move on her while he was standing there. She was able to look back at him and hesitate for a few moments.

Finally, she gave her answer.

"I am devoted to DeepGround…not to you. As far as I'm concerned, you and these others are enemies. No."

With that, the girl's eyes blazed the same color as her sabers, and the sparking ends were aimed at Diablos. She wasn't sure how much this would hurt, but she could give it a try. For a moment, the chamber was silent save for the sounds of sparking. The thing looked on at her…hand still out, but eyes looking dark.

"…You make it sound as if I gave you a choice in the matter."

With that, the palm suddenly turned and aimed at Shelke's chest. Before she could react…a small sphere, the size of a baseball, and looking to be made of pure blackness, erupted from his hand with some hollow rippling sound and impacted her straight in the chest.

The impact was hard, but not enough to hurt or drive her back. At any rate, she immediately looked down, and saw just what the blackness was. It wasn't a magical attack or a weapon. Instead…it was some ball of ebony gunk, like tar. And as soon as it had impacted against her, it had splatted out and covered most of her chest. Now, sticky strands were squashed against her body in an "eruption" shape from the center of it.

Yet it didn't stay that way long.

Almost immediately…the thicker pieces of the splat suddenly rippled. It was like some sort of earthworm reaction…or, more appropriately, a tentacle. A splat of the gunk suddenly ripped off and lashed out, reaching further across her chest and impacting there. Another piece did on the other side. She felt force dig into her. The gunk's ends split into small yet powerful little tendrils, and they hooked against her flesh through her clothing and yanked. She soon realized what was happening. It was spreading itself out.

The girl shot back and gazed at it as the gunk continued to move over her. It was getting bigger, she soon realized. And it felt cold. Everywhere it touched, the warmth of her body seemed to be drained. And it was quickly spreading out. Not only that…but it was _anchoring_ itself into her where it was. The point of impact was right over her chest…and it seemed to be soaking through her clothing into her skin…trying to _mesh_ with her skin. More so than that…she began to feel it creeping inside her chest…

Shelke didn't know what to do…but she soon received the idea that whatever was on her was _alive_. That, or that it was some living appendage of Diablos himself. If that was the case, she could only do one thing…before it spread too much farther… Shock it. Hopefully, it would drive it off before killing her… Immediately the prods reversed, and she prepared to drive it into the gunk…

That was when one of its icy tendrils somehow seemed to pierce her heart.

Shelke had only briefly glimpsed what this meant before. Now, as she stood there with the black material gradually coating her torso, she suddenly lost awareness of it. Not only that…but she forgot about Diablos, the other esper creatures, DeepGround, and everything else. Some great black curtain had suddenly put itself over her senses…and everything else faded into black oblivion. And yet, despite all of this, there was one thing that remained.

It was impossible…but all of the events that had happened since were erased. Now…she was just a young ten year old lying in the bottom of an ice-cold cell…body wracked with pain from experimentations and beatings… She was back there…helpless…and scared to death. All of the things in her life she had tried to put in front of it, all of her attempts to lock it out, even her brilliant maneuver of removing the memories from her mind and implanting them into the computer, enabling them to be looked at objectively or, better yet, implanted in another to control them…gone. She was _there_…in the spot of her worst nightmares. The place she had rather died than return to. She was totally vulnerable and helpless here…surrounded by large monsters and horrible shadows…not knowing what they wanted to do to her next.

Now, Shelke showed true emotion on her face. As her mako infused eyes shrank to pupils, her face turned to terror.

"Big sister…" She let out in a choked whisper. "…It hurts…"

After that, the girl collapsed to the ground. Her hands left her weapons, and they were put out to spark and flare around on the ground, threatening to shock anyone who got close. However…that was only until some of the black tendrils had snaked behind her back. Once there, they proceeded to form what looked like blade shapes and sliced off the cords. The two rods fell uselessly to the ground. More tendrils came over her shoulders and began to pierce the power box in the back, making sure that no more energy could come forth. When that was done, they covered up the sparking holes and continued to grow.

The girl was still conscious…oh yes. She was drinking in every moment of terror. Now her mind began to reveal countless moments of torture and horrible, monstrous faces. She had forgotten what it meant to be accustomed to them. She was seeing and feeling it all for the first time. But she was helpless again…this time to stop the black gunk from totally covering her torso, affixing itself to her skin, and making her feel as cold as death. Soon it was over her back as well, and there it began to snake down her arms, covering them as well. More tendrils reached up and coated her neck, and began to crawl up the sides of her head afterward. They only went up a bit before they seemed to stretch out one final time, where they "anchored", it appeared.

As the rest of the black material finished going along her forearms, over her feet and hands, and then enclosed each digit, the material on her chest changed. Parts of it seemed to solidify and sharpen. In a few moments, it was clear that they were becoming plates. Or, more appropriately…scales. They looked just like Diablos'. And just like him, some of them began to take on a reddish tint, so that they were both the color of darkness and of fresh blood. They did so to make some sort of design over her torso. It spread over to her back next, where the power pack area was replaced with something more "natural" looking. The gunk then formed a set of holsters…and two new weapons extending from her backside entered them. The scales continued to form up and down her arm, making her look like she had some sort of armored bodysuit…or even a new skin. On the end, it extended on her feet and hands, making the shape of talons. Not nearly as large as Diablos', but long none the less.

Finally, there was behind her head. Much of the black material had gathered there. However, her face was not covered. Instead, lengths began to form from the neck. They stretched out and enlarged, becoming sharp and curved. Within a few moments, they formed what looked like some sort of visored helmet. Although it had no eyes, it immediately swung over and covered the upper portion of Shelke's head, leaving only the end spikes of her messy hair and her mouth and chin still exposed. The rest was now enclosed by her new "scales".

Only then was she released. Although the armor continued to drain the heat from her, turning her face ashy and pale, the fear cut off. She was again Shelke the Transparent…but only with very intense memories of what had just happened to her burning in her memory. Now she was left to sprawl on the ground, gasping for air like a woman who had nearly been drowned or throttled. As if to accent this, she actually did raise one of her hands to her throat. Yet when she touched her talons against her scales, she seemed to stop. She appeared to notice what had happened to her for the first time. Her eyes looked down, and saw what had become of her body while she had been caught in the throes of terror.

"Noticing your new leash, Shelke?" Diablos asked. "It could have simply been something to help you. Now it will serve to discipline you when you misbehave. I don't use things as crude as pain and death when some meditating fool can just shut themselves off from trauma or some self-righteous moron can dare me to kill him. I'll simply make you feel as helpless and terrified as you did in the worst time of your life. And I won't give you any relief from knowledge or time or comfort. I'll only make you keep feeling it until you lose your mind. You could have been a woman of importance and rank. Now you'll be my dog. I have a feeling you know the answer to this question…but just in case you have a bold streak, I'll ask it anyway. Whom do you serve?"

Shelke, barely recognizable under what had grafted itself to her body, stiffened a moment more. Yet somehow, she managed to press her arms against the ground and raise her head. She looked out through the eyeless visor up to Diablos.

"…DeepGround."

"Hmph." Diablos answered, before turning it up again on her.

This time, Shelke writhed and screamed. Now that the gunk had melded with her body, it could make her feel the same agony and misery as well as the fear and soul-gripping terror. The other espers were watching now, but stayed silent. Cerberus actually stopped snarling and looked away as the human continued to thrash about. He had already tasted this punishment. All he had to do with look in Diablos' eyes, however. All he had was a memory. Shelke was feeling it more all the time.

After another minute, Diablos cut off. Like an exhausted animal that had been fighting for its life, Shelke splayed out on the ground. She sweat bullets underneath the helmet. She panted like she was about to die.

"Whom do you serve?" Diablos asked more slowly.

Shelke's lips trembled. Her whole body quivered. However…when they broke and she began to stutter, something else came out.

"B-B-B…B-B-B…B-B-Burn…in Hell…"

Diablos actually cracked a snarl at this. "You first." He answered.

Now Shelke's screaming became inhuman. Diablos had just forced her body to experience terror and anguish twice as hard as she had been feeling before. And now, her skin was feeling similar to being bathed in high-concentrated acid as the armor grafted to her body forced every pain receptor to go off at once. The girl was able to desperately try to rip it off once or twice despire her soul-numbing horror, but even if she was at full strength her skin would have ripped off long before the armor did by now. She tried to bash her own skull in a few times, but the helmet protected her from that. No…she would suffer to the utmost.

By now…Pandemona was grimacing and swallowing a bit. Siren herself looked bored…and maybe just a little uncomfortable.

"You're wasting your time. Either kill her or let me enchant her…"

_"No."_ Diablos nearly snapped back, his cold voice echoing through the chamber over Shelke's screams. "This one will _break_."

He kept it up until Shelke lost all of her power. She degenerated into a lump, unable to scream or thrash about anymore. But still, her flesh was white as the terror continued to render her paralyzed. After that…Diablos watched her and continued to pour it on for a full _five minutes._ Only then did he let her go. By that time…the figure in the armor looked quite dead. She sprawled out on the ground with her head to one side. Her mouth hung open and trembled slightly. A bit longer and it might have been worse…but just the tips of some of her hair underneath the helmet had turned white.

"You won't die, Shelke." Diablos sneered, slowly and coldly. "I won't _let you._ The torture will go on, getting worse and worse each time. I'll immobilize you so that you can't possibly kill yourself. I'll keep it up until all you can do is beg for death. Until that's the only image left in your brain. I'm sure I've destroyed some of your sanity already. Part of that image is endlessly replaying itself in your mind. You can't get rid of it by now. I've destroyed your barriers."

Shelke didn't answer. She didn't even move.

"I'll make it go away, Shelke." Diablos continued. "I'll bury it again. Don't be a fool. There's no need for you to suffer any longer. Save what's left of your sanity before I leave you a paralyzed vegetable for the rest of your life. Accept your fate as my servant. I'll ask you again, Shelke…and this time, if you say no, I won't stop until you _beg_ me to stop. And the fear will be so great by then that you'll never even be able to squeeze out 'please', let alone 'please end this'. Now Shelke…"

Here, the scales tightened. The skin stretched. The form of Diablos bent down closer, letting his dark shadow fall completely over Shelke's body. His yellow eyes gleamed like fires as he looked down on her.

_"Whom…do…you…serve?"_

Shelke didn't move for a long time. She was frozen there…unable to think…unable to resist…unable to do anything except wish for death.

That was when Diablos made her relax. Black tendrils sank into her brain and banished away the horrible memories. It kept the resulting fear, leaving her apoplectic with her heart continuing to race. It left her as cold as ice as well. Yet she lived. And she was able to move again. For a long time, the two sides were silent, and Diablos patiently waited for her reaction.

Finally, Shelke inhaled a stiff, ragged breath, and life seemed to come into her bones.

Very slowly, she picked her body up off the ground into a seated position. After that, moving almost as if she was brainwashed or forcing her body to do so…she twisted it around to form a kneel in front of the thing. Her visored head bowed down before him, and she balanced herself with one arm while crossing the other in front of her.

"…Diablos." She exhaled on a whisper.

Diablos' face twisted into a smile. "Very good, my servant." He stated in response. "Yet from now on, I am no longer 'Diablos' to you. I am simply 'master'. As for your new armor/restraints, they are anchored firmly in your heart and mind. If you ever disobey my commands, they will make sure to carry out my will and punish you in much the way you were just punished."

Shelke didn't respond. She kept her head bowed and stayed in position.

"Now…for my first command to you…Shelke the Darkness." He accented this last part with a smile, enjoying his new title for his pet. "There is much to do if we are to make this world our own. Your first task will be one that I'm sure you will have little problem with, based on what of your soul I now see. Go north and destroy the remaining bowls in the Well of the Guardian Forces. Start with Dr. Shalua Rui and her sample. Leave the Cetra alive for now…but defeat him if he intends to stop you. After that, return here. I'll have new orders for you by then. As for mako infusions…you no longer require them. The armor will provide you with all sustenance you require. For that matter…you need no longer eat, drink, or excrete anything. You may not enjoy it for now, but trust me…" Here, Diablos' grin widened even further.

"In a few days, it will feel…'just like your own skin'. I _guarantee_ it."

Shelke didn't react.

"…Yes, master." She spoke, a bit louder now.

Unable to rebel again, unable to do anything but obey, Shelke rose from her kneel, and then turned to walk out from the inner chamber. Diablos smiled as he watched her go. He knew she might try something yet. It mattered little. He had fused a part of his body with her. He knew everything she was thinking and doing at all times. The slightest infraction would be met with severe consequences. She would learn discipline. She would learn slavery. For now, he was confident that her own hate would allow her to do what he had said. By the time she was done…much more of her would belong to him.

After all…that armor he put on her wasn't just making itself her "outer covering".

It was "improving" a few things on the inside as well…

Diablos turned as Shelke reached the door and looked back to the others. By now, Cerberus had his head bowed and looked rather uncomfortable, Pandemona himself was pulling at the collar of his throat. Siren alone looked unchanged…but she wasn't voluptuous anymore either. It was clear that he had installed a sense of fear, possibly horror, into each of them.

_Good._

"Now come." He told them. "We must get you back to your original bodies. And then…we have a pair of brothers to meet."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	10. Shelke the Darkness

_All too easy._

Diablos might have only enjoyed life for a short time period, but he had more knowledge on his side than almost any other thing that had ever lived. That included a wide scope on the history of the entire Planet and all of its developments throughout time. He knew most things on this world better than they knew themselves. He could formulate a plan to get himself to succeed in almost any situation imaginable, and he knew it.

Still…he enjoyed how kind fate had been to bring him into existence here and now.

Everything that Weiss had known was now his. And DeepGround had been very, very kind as to subconsciously transmit all current information into Weiss' artificially living brain. They wanted to make sure their leader would be on top of things the moment he arrived…which meant that Diablos was now on top of things. It was child's play to access all computer records and communication systems, as well as old footage of Weiss' own visage on the throne. He could have reverted back into Weiss…but for now, he preferred his current outfit. At any rate, he was easily able to contact the soldiers still in DeepGround. It was further easy to tell them about their fantastic new "esper weapons", and to make arrangements to receive the remaining cylinders in their possession, as well as to make ways of "recharging" their current "weapons". It was easy for his newest allies to move through the halls to their proper areas, and easier still to make sure that no one would be in his path when he himself decided to move.

Pandemona was easy to rig up. They had special wind tunnels inside DeepGround to train the soldiers in ways of sky-diving and midair combat. All he had to do was send him there and let him sit in the path of the fans at full blast until he was recovered.

Siren took a bit more ingenuity. In the end, Diablos had sent her to the center of communications control throughout DeepGround. Once there, he had directed her to turn on every single audio broadcaster in the room, each one playing a different genre of song at full blast, deafening her with its noise.

Cerberus was a bit more of a dilemma. Diablos wasn't exactly sure of the nature of his power. In the end, he decided the best way to give him "vigor" was to stimulate it. He sent him to the workout areas and placed him on one of the larger treadmills, built for one of his size, to run at full speed. It seemed to be working when Diablos left him…

With his new recruits recharging, it was time for him to see to other things. After all, there was still much to do. And he had one area in particular in mind.

Because of that, Diablos currently found himself standing here. In front of him a giant steel door, thick with several feet of armor, stood. Hydraulics held it in place, and a continuous echo went out from the other side. The door shuddered and even bulged slightly with each blow. Diablos smiled at it throughout.

Nearby, there were a pair of guards who had refused to obey his orders to leave. Oh, they hadn't refused _outright_. They weren't that dumb. However, they had insisted on guarding the area, making sure their prisoner didn't escape until Weiss had arrived. He had told all people to be gone and leave the prisoners to him. But two had stayed behind. They wanted to make sure nothing happened in the interim. And because of that, they had still been there, and clearly saw Diablos in his latest form when he rounded the corner and drew near.

Pity for them.

Now, both of them had their spines removed and were on the ground. Diablos was finishing licking some of the blood off of his other hand. He enjoyed the fact that, despite having been fully recharged, he felt their deaths none the less. They strengthened him.

Still smiling, Diablos finished cleaning off the blood, finishing his last finger by projecting his tongue like a long fork and winding it around his last digit, wiping it clean in one sweep. With that accomplished, he walked over to a panel near the main door. He immediately flipped it down, revealing a keypad awaiting instruction. He typed in a few digits, an override both from Weiss' memory as well as one of the two guards he had just killed.

_That's right…they _did_ die in agony in a time of war, didn't they?_

The thought made Diablos snicker as he pressed the enter button, and then stood back again to greet his new arrivals.

A moment later, and a monstrous hiss sounded from the huge metal door. It heaved once, and then seemed to crack inward, as if shifting off of some mooring. A moment later, and it gave out the sounds of massive gears and wheels turning as it hoisted itself upward. It rolled on invisible guidelines straight up, passing into the upper portion of the frame it was in. As it slowly rolled up, dim red light was revealed on the other side. Bare, dusty sand rolled out onto the ground, spilling grains everywhere. Diablos saw this, and looked up and waited.

As the door continued to rise, a dark shadow was revealed beyond it. A _tall_ one; easily the size of Azul in his human form. It continued to roll up until at last a massive monster was revealed, hands still in fists, and a very angry look on his face.

The look immediately called into mind myths of "minotaurs", creatures with bodies that were half man and half bull. Yet this thing looked far too hideous and monstrous to be a true one. It had hooves and fists, and long curled horns on top of its head. But its face was just plain ugly. Neither human nor bull. It was like some sort of twisted goblin, with a broad nose and a jutting chin. Large sharp teeth poked out from its jaws and its lips. Its eyes were burning with yellow energy. Yet it wasn't bright light or electrical. It seemed to be almost of some sort of natural color…a bronzed or dusty look.

The eyes soon flicked down and rested on the much-smaller Diablos.

The teeth grit, and the thing began to speak. It's voice was deafening to any normal human, and the whole room shook as dust fell from the ceiling.

"SO WHO'S THE ONE WHO CRAMMED ME INTO THAT-"

The monster went silent a moment later as it saw who…or what…it was looking at. Despite its huge size, it immediately looked stunned. It actually went back a bit, flicking its cow tail behind him, and holding its arms up.

"UGH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Hel-"

Diablos calmly turned his gaze off of the hulking brute and looked past him, deeper into the room. His eyes rested on the source of the voice. Two male humans, nude but otherwise intact, were looking out at him. One was a boy, and he had begun to speak. He was starting to yell for help...but cut himself off. Both of them looked rather tense and frightened. After all…they had been caught in the room with the beast for some time. Yet on seeing Diablos, he immediately clammed up. He shrank back, and the bigger one, seeing the demonic horror worse than the monster, immediately put his arm around the boy as a shield and struggled to get in front of him to protect him, although both looked rather small and frightened by now.

Diablos smiled and gave a snort to them. After that, he looked back up to the monster. He stretched out a finger and beckoned to him. "How about coming out from there and talking a while?"

The gaze of the thing narrowed, and his rage returned.

"DON'T TALK TO ME THAT WAY! I DON'T APPRECIATE BEING PUT IN SOME UGLY HUMAN'S BODY AND BEING LOCKED UP FOR HOURS! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU-"

"calm down, little brother."

A much smaller, nearly comical voice rang out. It was nearly a squeak, much like cartoon characters who are unusually tiny say in kid shows. Diablos, however, calmly turned his eyes down to the source.

Stepping out from behind the giant was something scarcely the size of Shelke. Compared to the much larger one, it had been able to successfully hide behind one leg without revealing itself. Now it easily stooped and walked underneath the larger one's legs to come out in front of him. It was a carbon copy of the bigger one, only scaled smaller. The coloring was a big different too. The huge one had red horns. This one had gold ones.

The giant looked down on him, and immediately seemed to pout. "BUT BIG BROTHER! HE COULD HAVE LET US OUT THE WHOLE TIME, BUT LEFT US CRAMMED IN WITH THOSE SMELLY APES, AND-"

"that's enough, sacred." The smaller one answered, waving a hand behind him, which immediately made the giant whine and back down. As for the smaller one, he kept his eyes on Diablos, looking up to him in much the same way Diablos was looking up to the larger one, Sacred.

"excuse my brother." The small one answered. "i don't attack without provocation, or let him do so. i want to at least give you the chance to explain yourself. but if you say anything i don't like, i'll gladly let him have you, and i'll take a piece of you myself."

Diablos merely kept his smile. "Of course. Step this way."

He extended a taloned hand, gesturing out of the chamber.

The smaller one immediately walked out. The larger one grunted, but then followed behind. Diablos watched them as they moved out from inside. Afterward, he turned back and looked in one more time. The humans were still hesitating, obviously unsure of whether or not to move. They froze again when Diablos looked to them. However, before they could try and make a move, the esper reached out and pressed the controls once again. A moment later, and the door slid shut again, and once more sealed. The two humans were caught inside.

The two beasts looked to Diablos curiously on seeing this, stopping in midstep.

"what do you want with them? why are you keeping them there?"

"They won't be in much longer." Diablos reassured. "They'll be leaving as soon as I give them and the rest in this DeepGround a private concert…"

* * *

Tifa nearly threw the paper down. She thought of burning it, then throwing the ashes in the garbage disposal. However…something stopped her from doing that. Namely the fact that she was more concerned right now about how many different people across Edge were reading this front page story right now and what they were thinking. She supposed she should have been grateful that the details of yesterday's city council meeting hadn't been published until today…when she could worry about it in daylight instead of having to wait through last night while tempers were still fresh.

For the first time Tifa could remember, she burned part of the kids' breakfast. She was so distracted by the paper that Crain had brought her.

The council meeting had taken place yesterday, and the new topic of the hour was the attack on the airport. By now, the casualty figures had come in, and many were still missing. They were presumed dead at this point, especially when one or two eye witnesses said that some sort of dark cloud had appeared to _eat_ them before fading away. Although early investigators hadn't believed this, it began to look more and more possible with time, especially now that it was becoming clear that the enemy had generated energy shields, bent light over their bodies, and done other things out of the realm of physical possibility. And since there was no explanation, natural or mechanical, for many of these things, the next possibility had come in, one that was now a reality and, possibly, a scapegoat.

Magic.

The current mayor said that this attack was a result of too much complacency. After the Volunteer War, the citizenry had been lulled into a false sense of security. The New Shinra Army had been allowed to rise due to people's desire to simply ignore these things and believe life would be peaceful. The attack, they believed, was a result of it. Complacency regarding military factions and organizations…and complacency regarding people born with magical powers. If three or four people with magical abilities had managed to kill dozens, including no less than eight armed guards, then what would more of them do? A hundred would be able to take over the city. Perhaps more than just that…

A new vote was going to be put before the city council. This one was going to be on a new local ordinance that would likely soon expand to all other cities in the surrounding area and beyond. Before, the current law said that the local police had the right to detain and interrogate anyone engaged in "suspicious and questionable activity". This included the appearance of illegal transactions, such as drug sales, and someone ranting and raving about killing someone else while waving around a weapon. This vote, if it passed, would now include anyone engaged in any "non-materia magical activity". The mayor had made sure to tack on the end that this measure would just be the first in a series of new legislative steps to make sure that an incident like the one at the airport did not happen again.

Tifa knew the truth far better.

This was the first in a series of new legislative steps that would start a modern day mage warrior hunt. Now that the police were able to drag any natural magic user to jail, they'd be able to shoot them on sight and claim they were "resisting arrest". And it would give them an excuse to break the doors down to the orphanage. Worst of all, it would enable the city to start building a dossier on all magic users in the city. And that would be where the next laws could come in…imposing restrictions on all of these users…forcibly registering them and requiring them to list this status on a job or school application…or worse.

The woman would have kept thinking about this, when a pungeant aroma hit her nostrils. She turned and looked, and soon sighed as she realized the eggs were burning. As she quickly went for the spatula, she thought of today. Aerith was coming home. That was a good thing. Somehow it felt better to have that kind of power on their side. However, she knew enough to know that this thing wasn't going to be settled by force. Somehow they had to get around this, but how? Would they have to cut off classes for a while?

Even as Tifa began to adjust the material in the pan, the door to the kitchen swung open. She turned and looked, and saw that Denzel was already dressed and looking to her. He gestured behind himself to the front door.

"Hey mom? Can me and Azure head over to Marlene's?"

"Not just yet, Denzel." Tifa answered, trying to push the thoughts away and think about more current matters. "Until Aerith gets back, I want you boys to stay here and help out."

Denzel immediately frowned, obviously not liking the sound of that.

"I'm going to want more people around here from now on." Tifa immediately answered. She gestured down to the paper, still on the counter. "Read that and you'll see why."

Denzel hesitated a bit, still rather disagreeable about the arrangement. Yet having nothing better to do, he finally sighed, reached over, and took it up. He turned and walked out, letting the door swing closed behind him. Tifa frowned somewhat at his behavior, but then turned back to the food.

_You want to protect someone, Denzel… You may have to sooner than you think…right here._

The woman thought a bit longer on this as she saw her son walk out…when she suddenly jumped. The phone in the kitchen abruptly rang, and she nearly dropped her spatula. With a gasp, she turned and looked over to the source. A moment later, she exhaled as she relaxed a bit, and then scolding herself mentally for being so jittery, she removed the pan from the stove onto a cold burner, and then walked over to its carrier on the wall. She soon removed it and put it to her ear.

"Seventh Heaven Bar and Deliveries."

_"…They're moving again."_

Tifa's eyes widened a bit. She recognized the voice as Vincent.

"…They?" She asked in a quieter voice…not wanting her sons to overhear in the next room. "You mean the people who made the attack yesterday?"

_"Or a craft that they use."_ Vincent's voice answered. _"They're headed up north. They're already over the ocean by now, but I've narrowed down their location. It's somewhere in the ruins of Midgar. One of the more heavily destroyed areas…the Shinra HQ Building."_

Tifa tightened on hearing this. She realized what that might possibly mean. But that wasn't possible. The New Shinra was gone along with the old one. They couldn't still be kicking after all this time…could they?

_"If I don't call back in six hours, you'll know where I went."_ The voice continued. _"I'm going to try and track the entrance down while the old trail is still warm. If nothing else, I can stakeout the return trip."_

Tifa began to speak. "Vincent…"

It was too late. The phone on the other end had clicked.

* * *

Ragnar frowned when he looked at the time. It was getting too late.

He looked up soon after, and looked out to the sky on the horizon. Nothing there yet. Of course, he wasn't sure how easy he'd be if something _was_ there. It was daylight now, and still Quetzacoatl had not returned. She was supposed to be back before dawn. In all likelihood, it wasn't anything dangerous. She was likely losing track of time and enjoying herself too much. She might have even gone so far that it was still dark where she was. Yet that didn't change the fact that Ragnar wanted her back. He liked the idea of espers being free to roam the world, but that didn't change the fact that the world wasn't used to seeing one flying around.

The man shut the door to the car and gave a stretch. He had gotten up before dawn that morning, intent on getting Aerith and the kids aboard the next departing transport. They were headed back home now, although they'd be going via Junon. That was fine by Ragnar. Despite Aerith's power, he didn't like the idea of her going back to the "scene of the crime"…especially since he knew that somehow they had been breached, and so it was likely that whoever had done it knew they were coming. By the time he had seen them off and gotten over the sadness that came with the thought of once again being without his family, he set out for the facility again. Along the way, Shalua had called him. She said she hadn't found out any evidence of being hacked, but also that Quetzacoatl had still not returned.

To be honest, Ragnar was starting to get worried. They hadn't heard from Horus yet, and that was feeding his fear that she had something to do with what happened in Midgar. Some group of people had to know about Quetzacoatl as well, even if the locals did not. What if someone _had_ made a strike on her? Espers were powerful, but far from invincible. _Very_ far. Especially lower ones like Quetzacoatl. Swords and powder cannon had managed to best them hundreds of years ago. What would they do in the face of today's modern weapons?

Ragnar didn't like this. As he turned and began to make his way back to the facility, he began to wonder if he shouldn't have gone home as well. He'd like to seek out and stop these people himself. But no…that would do little good. There were already plenty of his friends back in Midgar. Even Vincent had shown up again to help out. Back here might be peaceful, but this was still where the rest of the essences were located. He had to make sure they weren't taken. And he had to find out who the leak was as well.

Soon he was at the door and moving in. The facility was mostly abandoned right now, save for himself and Shalua. Rex was supposed to be coming back with his last samples later that afternoon. He could have been in that morning, but Ragnar had to quickly make up a story to keep him from doing so. He didn't want him to accidentally spot Quetzacoatl. Accepting Horus was one thing, but he wasn't sure he could trust him to keep a lid on an esper…especially since he was starting to wonder who he could trust.

Inside the facility, Ragnar turned the corner and began to make for the laboratory. The halls were empty and dark, letting natural sunlight do most of the work at this point. He was free to get to the area, and once again pass through the doorway into the interior.

It hadn't changed much from yesterday. The samples were put away, but the lab looked extensively used. Shalua had left her examination of the various cultures she had and returned to her computer for the moment. She was typing away, once again seeming oblivious to Ragnar's initial entrance. Just like yesterday, after pulling the door to behind him, waiting for it to click, he began to approach her. He studied her features as he did so, wondering if she was still stunned about yesterday's discovery.

To his puzzlement, she seemed to have a new look on her face. This one was a look of unease…maybe even anxiety.

He stopped once he clearly saw this.

"…Something wrong?" He asked.

As if shocked, Shalua turned to him with a small gasp. This aroused Ragnar's suspicions immediately…despite the fact that he had thought the woman was one he could trust. However, she soon let out a slower exhale, and then seemed to relax somewhat.

"Mr. Vice…you scared me."

"Found something that really had you engrossed?" Ragnar asked, subtly redirecting the conversation back to before.

"Potentially." Shalua answered, turning back to the screen. "Despite the fact I can't believe it, I know that the only real facts that were written down about our ongoing investigation were on my computer system. So I looked in to try and find more. I figured that I'd be able to spot a clever hacker if I looked at the records a bit more closely. He or she may have erased their presence, but doing so tends to leave a mark. Something looking a bit _too_ neat and tidy, so to speak."

"Find anything?" Ragnar responded.

Shalua frowned…but not as much as she usually would have done from disappointment. "I was beginning to think that I hadn't been hacked. All the records were perfect. That seems almost impossible. The code citrix on my system combines both logic and intuition. You can't make a program to do it normally, and it would have taken days of brain power work from an accomplished, clever hacker to cover their tracks. They wouldn't have had time to make it perfect, not in the brief windows in which I wasn't looking. That made me start to think that I was wasting my time looking for a hacker in the first place. That was…until I found this in the records. A slip."

"Slip?"

Shalua pointed to a place on the screen. Ragnar began to walk over at this. He had to maneuver around a few tables, but he finally made it over to the screen.

There wasn't much for him to see. It all looked like a series of random entries with different dates and codes for each in one big list. Shalua was pointing to one.

"Right here." She stated. "No tricks here. No cover ups. Just a plain old password access to my most secure files…at a time in which I was nowhere near the computer. Someone else used it here. Someone who knew my code."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow here. "So…that narrows it down to someone who could guess your password? Or who had a good idea about it? Like who?"

Shalua frowned yet again. "Effectively? No one. I've never even hinted at what my password might be to anyone in my life…" On saying this, however…the woman began to trail off. "…Except one person." She finished a moment later. "But that's not possible. Not unless…" Again…she trailed off.

Ragnar was definitely intrigued now. And he was beginning to grow suspicious. He turned his head fully to the woman.

"…Shalua?"

The scientist looked at the screen a bit longer. She was silent and motionless during this. But in the end, she swallowed a bit and turned back to Ragnar.

"…There's one possibility, but it's something I haven't dared to consider for a long time, Mr. Vice." She finally stated. "It's very unlikely…but it just might be true. I need to tell you something. There's a chance that I know where the attackers on yesterday's airfield came from."

Hearing this, Ragnar's eyes immediately widened.

"You do? Who?"

Shalua looked a bit uneasy, but continued.

"I've only managed to collect scraps of clues about it. Nothing even concrete. Yet these things cost me one of my limbs and half of my sight. That's what makes me believe it's real. The thought that such a place might exist was what made me hate Shinra intrinsically…but mostly for the fact that-"

_Creak._

Both Shalua and Ragnar turned their heads as they heard a sound break the otherwise rather quiet chamber. When they turned and looked…they saw something. The door to the laboratory had just lightly swung open.

Shalua stared a moment at this, but then shook it off. She turned to the male Cetra. "That's why you need sliding doors, Mr. Vice. You won't have to worry about making them stay shut."

Ragnar didn't look to her in response.

His gaze was locked on the doorway, and his muscles were already tightening.

"Stay shut nothing." He announced. "I remember closing it behind me." Then, in a louder voice. "Someone out there?"

No answer. Just silence.

That was all Ragnar needed to know. After the airfield attack, he wasn't going to risk someone else showing up and causing trouble. Immediately after he realized that whoever opened the door wasn't advertising their presence, he held his hand out. A moment later, and Ragnarok began to materialize in it after a flash of flame. He soon winced after doing so…as he heard Shalua gasp and shoot back. He forgot all about the fact that she still didn't realize the full nature of his and Aerith's supernatural powers. No doubt, that probably just unsettled her even more. Despite how casual she had been the other day, he wondered how much she truly felt about Aerith's abilities. Yet that could wait.

"Get behind the lab table." Ragnar instructed to her. "It's steel. It should be bullet proof."

Shalua frowned a bit at this. "I might be crippled, Mr. Vice, but I'm far from invalid. I still have-"

Before Shalua could get out another word…it happened.

Some sort of invisible force suddenly swung down hard on Ragnar's wrist. The movement was in a perfect disarming gesture. Before the man could even realize what had happened, a jolt went though his wrist. He gave a yelp as his sword fell from his hand to the ground. The man winced and looked to his limb…only to feel a rather solid and powerful hit, like being hit by a ball of steel, smash him in the face. He was ripped off of his feet and thrown backward through the air. Unfortunately, this lab was cluttered. There were plenty of microscopes and bench chairs to smash into before he impacted an irregular wall with pointed racks on it. Pain was driven into his back before he was left to fall to the ground. In truth, it wasn't so bad. He was too dazzled to register most of the pain.

Shalua's eyes widened as she snapped around to the man.

"Mr….!"

She meant to cry, _Mr. Vice._ However, the last word never came out.

A saber, burning with heat from deadly red energy, suddenly materialized and pointed itself at her throat. Immediately, she halted in mid-turn. Her one remaining eye widened, and she looked ahead of herself.

To the woman's surprise, two red sabers, hovering in mid-air, were in front of her. One was to the side, but the other was aimed at her. Both hummed with energy, and it appeared that they might have been focused energy beams. They kept her pinned, but they did not strike. For a moment, Shalua only held, looking up and waiting for what would happen next.

Something did finally happen.

Abruptly, reality warped. It bulged out and twisted until it seemed to form some sort of bulge of a figure in midair. It looked like some sort of humanoid figure…wielding the blades. A moment later, and the bulge suddenly began to fill in with color and form. It was like reality was coloring in an outline of a transparent person.

The coloring was deep black and blood red, however. Yet the red seemed to almost glow as much as the sabers. The humanoid on the other side was lithe and small, however. No larger than a child. She was clothed in some sort of bodysuit…but it was a strange one. It looked almost damp…warm…like a layer of some sort of black flesh. In fact, you might have almost been able to say this was some sort of black and blood skinned monster…if it wasn't for the fact that the barest hint of human skin was showing out from underneath a large, visorless, horned helmet that looked almost bolted into the person's neck and skull. The edges of the bodysuit almost seemed to be digging _under_ it though, as if it was trying to lift it off and replace it with itself. The flesh itself was white as a sheet…cold as death. Yet Shalua could still make out the edges of brown, messy hair from under the helmet, and saw the set of human lips curled into a cold sneer underneath.

The teeth on the other side were enlarged…almost like a vampire…or a beast.

"For years…I've thought of killing you." A cold, child-like voice underneath the mask spoke. And yet…something underneath it laced it. Something violent…vicious. It was trying to push itself through. It almost looked as if the person was trying to suppress it. "I had to. It's what gave me the will to survive. To turn my false hope into a savage desire. Both required me to hang on…to live."

A pause.

"…And now that I'm here…I can't help but wish I could hold long enough for you to kill me."

Shalua's eyes creased, in confusion of all of this. She didn't understand what it meant or what this person was saying. It looked like a girl and talked like one…but the savagery behind it was that of an adult woman…and it almost looked as if her clothes were alive and trying to _graft_ themselves onto her. Yet through it all, Shalua heard the slow, cold voice…and slowly began to recognize something in it…something she had long since buried.

"…You…" She began to say.

As if in response, the helmet suddenly released and flipped back, much like a knight's old armor would do so to expose the face. And there she was. Shalua's heart nearly stopped. Her mind went blank as she saw her standing in front of her. It was impossible…inconceivable…and yet she knew it had to be true. Her thoughts had turned to her as of late, and now it seemed as if such wasn't just idle thinking but almost an omen. An omen that had now come to pass. For a brief moment…Shalua saw her there. A living memory given flesh…untouched by the same time and forces that had rendered her a shell of a woman…

That was…until a greater horror came when she realized she wasn't unchanged.

Her eyes _gleamed_. Gleamed with that same red blood color. And they were changing…becoming _viper-like_. Her ears were pointed now. All of it suited her teeth…her monstrous, carnal teeth.

It couldn't be her. No…this was a demon. A demon bearing her likeness.

Slowly, Shalua's surprise began to turn into terror.

"Oh no…"

"I wanted you to recognize me." The girl answered. "I wanted you to know who I was. But you see…I can _feel_ it now. I can't bear to look in a mirror, knowing what it's doing to me. I can feel it breaking into my mind…making me see the world as not anything human but as flesh and food. I know I don't look like her anymore. But so much the better then. If I have to be the demon from Hell to punish you, then so be it."

Shalua, eyes still wide, began to back up. She shook her head in disbelief.

"No…you're not her… You can't be her…"

"I wanted to tell you I was…or at least once…that this was what I was forced to become." The girl answered. "But not now. You're right. I'm _not_ her. At least, I won't be very soon. He did something to me. It's not just a control, you see. It's _changing_ me. I'm losing my sanity quickly now. Or maybe the fear did it to me. I don't know. All I know is that I thought I was in a nightmare before…but now the nightmare is truly begun."

"No…"

The serpent eyes began to narrow.

"Kill me, Shalua. Kill me now. Let me try to imagine that I'm still alive…that I haven't already been banished into Hell. Do it…or I'll _enjoy_ the first part of my change by seeing _you_ die…"

Shalua's eyes widened further. Slowly, a horrible thought was entering her mind…one getting harder and harder to deny.

"You…you're really…"

That was as far as she got.

That was when a ball of fire exploded against the girl's suit and flung her away, smashing _her_ into the opposing wall after raking her through a mass of lab debris.

Shalua's eyes widened again and she gasped. After that, she turned and looked back to the source.

Ragnar was panting as he got to his feet again. Only now, after having a few moments to get his thoughts and wipe away some blood from his mouth, did he remember that he had heard that one of the people who attacked the airfield could bend light. What he _didn't_ expect was that she could turn totally invisible. This wasn't just a cloak or camouflage. She hadn't even left an outline. They could have mentioned that…he had been looking for one, and had assumed it wasn't her…

At any rate, he lowered his hand. That was just a weak fire spell…the best he could manage at his own level of training without the aid of Ragnarok. But it had done the trick. Now, with another wave of his hand, Ragnarok was safely back in his grasp again as he peeled himself off of the wall. He winced soon after, however. He had brought it into his hit arm, and it still hurt. It felt like it was bruised or worse. He had to shift it to…

No time.

Whoever the girl was, she didn't need nearly as much time to recover. She had barely finished landing when she suddenly sprung off from her position in the wall, her helmet swinging down and snapping back into place. A moment later, and she leapt across the room, bounded off of a wall on the side, and then shot straight for Ragnar. Both of her sabers were extended and aimed for him. The speed was astonishing. It was only due to Ragnar's training that he managed to turn and bring Ragnarok up in time.

The initial strike made a collision, and the blow was blocked. It was good, too. Ragnar had heard that the invisible one had used stunning poles…but these things felt a bit too hot to be safe. He could sense the heat from a foot away, where he had swung Ragnarok up to stop them just in time. Yet the block was far from without consequences. Pain shot up his wrists and he winced. He had been forced to block with his bad arm, and had paid for it.

Almost immediately…he heard an animal hiss from the girl and she advanced. As she flashed her long, dangerous fangs over her pale face, she charged forward like an animal, furiously striking and slashing with her sabers. However, the blows weren't entirely chaotic. They were planned and focused. Luckily, she didn't seem to pick up on his weakness, despite the agony he showed as he began to try and block off the assault as best as he could. It was so quick he didn't even have time to shift to his other hand. The best he could do was put his other on it as she struggled to stab him. However, unwieldy as he was, she didn't attempt to make the injury worse or knock the weapon away.

_Shut up, Ragnar._ He thought. _Don't look in a package to Mist._

Luckily, heat seemed to be a factor in the girl's weapons. And heat alone could not best Ragnarok, especially since it relied so heavily on that element. These weapons, assuming they were lasers, would have cut through most other weapons on Gaia, but their heat was wasted on Ragnarok. As Ragnar started to stabilize and solidify his defense, he realized this.

He also began to realize something else. He was sensing something from the girl. Some form of energy or spiritual presence...

He hadn't picked up something so evil since he beat Sephiroth.

The girl drove both sabers forward one more time, letting out an interesting sound of metal on energy as Ragnar brought his blade up and intercepted. After that…the girl abruptly leapt back and seemed to once more shoot back like some sort of projectile. She struck the back wall a moment later, and then shot off for the one on her left. She bounced off this one again, and Ragnar braced himself for an attack.

Instead…to his surprise she shot over him and to the wall behind him. She bounced off a moment later. The man turned to try and intercept, but instead was just in time to spill back in desperation, barely missing the girl's sabers as they lunged for his head.

Unfortunately, he was completely off balance after this. As a result, he was little match for the girl when she finished shooting over him, landed on her feet, and then turned and seemed to skate across the ground as she lunged forward and slashed out. Ragnar knew something like this was coming, now that he was exposed, and with a terrific effort managed to twist his body around. It was awkward and painful, but in twisting he brought his side in, and as a result the laser blade only cut through part of his shirt. He did feel his flesh singe a bit…but he ignored it and faced the girl again.

Immediately, the girl shot forward again in another lightning fast move, and then spun around at the man, swinging both sabers out one after another. Struggling to keep balance, he forced himself to be calm as he intercepted the two blows. A moment later, and the girl snapped out of her spin, only to drive both sabers forward for his head in a quick thrust. Eyes widening, Ragnar was forced to arch back and let the deadly weapons just miss striking him in the brow. He almost could feel his sweat evaporating on them. Yet before he could duck around and try a counterattack…the girl surprisingly shot forward, swung both of her blades out, and then snapped them forward in a scissors motion, trying to take off Ragnar's head. He was too off balance to keep moving back, and so he was forced to do something more unorthodox. He spilled backward and dropped into a reverse somersault, missing the blades just narrowly.

However, even as he rolled back, the girl was on his heels, furiously stabbing at him every time he paused to try to get up, and forcing him to keep rolling.

_This thing is vicious…_

To that end…Ragnar figured he'd try something new he'd been working on.

For a few moments more, the man continued to roll back. Yet that wasn't going to work much longer. He was running out of room in the laboratory. And so, after rolling back one more time, while the girl was coming in to stab again, he abruptly braced his sword in front of him. Again, he channeled his fire into it. Only this time, he focused it on the blade's own reflective surface. In a moment, the sword flared up into a brilliant, golden dazzle, and sent out a powerful blast in front of him.

As it turned out, this was a foolish move. The girl didn't need eyes to see him, as evidenced by the visorless helmet. Yet it did manage to do something. She had been expecting another flame attack, it appeared, and so she had recoiled and held her ground. That was all the delay Ragnar needed to get back on his feet. By the time he was standing, she had recovered, and had brought her sabers out again. But this time, he beat her to the intial blow. He attacked her, using his sword's size, length, and power to immediately beat down against her. The girl was strong and skilled…but Ragnar was no pushover himself. Soon he was forcing her back…

As a result, he was somewhat expecting it when the girl crossed her sabers in front of her to intercept an overhead chop, and then quickly leapt backward again. A moment later, and she leapt from the ground and to the nearby wall. She ricocheted off of it again, and once more sailed for the man. However, this time, he was ready for it. He kept his eyes on her as she came. Luckily, she was still relying on brute power and offensive technique. Not guarding herself. And so, she turned herself into a living bullet with both sabers extended and aimed for his head.

Ragnar waited until just the right moment…

…Then sidestepped.

If the girl was surprised, she didn't show it. But that didn't change the fact that she sailed harmlessly by Ragnar with no way to stop herself. Yet even as she did, Ragnar lashed out with his own blow. Ragnarok swung up and out as she went by, catching something…

A moment later, and the girl landed, altering her body to swing her feet out and catch the ground at the last moment, then whirling around to Ragnar. She immediately raised both sabers up and toward him…

Only to find that they had gone completely dead. They were now nothing more than metal rods.

The girl looked to this, although she still showed no surprise, and quickly traced it down to the source. She saw that the power cords attached to her sabers had been severed. She looked back up to Ragnar…but it was already too late. He had her in his sights, and was rushing forward. He had no idea what this monster was, but he was going to put it down soon. He took the moment to zero in on her vitals and reaim his blade. In another moment, he would have caught her before she had a chance to react. He rushed in to a distance of only two feet from his blade to her body, and began to drive his sword forward…

"Ragnar! Don't!"

Shalua's words struck Ragnar's ear…and the sheer suddenness of it as well as the urgency made him hesitate. He turned his head to the source instinctively, and saw that he was looking over back to the lab bench. Not only had Shalua not left, she had yelled out to him, telling him not to beat the attacker while he could.

That delay was all the girl needed. For a brief moment…her eyes flared up bright red, burning with blood…

Then…she attacked.

Not eight…but _sixteen_ energy after-images of the girl bombarded Ragnar at once.

It was fortunate that the poles had been deactivated. If not, nothing would have been left of Ragnar's body. At it was, the power of a rapid, focused thrust went into him from sixteen different ways at once. It seemed to drain all of the energy from him at it connected. He had never been struck in such a way. It wasn't just the pain. Getting hit from so many places at the exact same time overloaded his pain sensors. It was as stunning as it was painful.

Hence, a split second later, when the girl reappeared in the exact same spot she had been before…Ragnar immediately collapsed to the ground, twisted in odd angles and covered with painful bruises…or worse.

As for the girl, she straightened herself up soon after. Without any emotion, she tossed her poles to the side. A long hollow ring went out as they struck the ground. After that was done…she balled her hands into fists and held them in front of her. When she did, she slowly looked over them both through her sightless helmet, and tightened her fists even further until they began to stretch. She did so a moment…before a wet ripping sound went off, like flesh rupturing. Two holes ripped in the top of her gloves…and immediately two beams of burning red energy shot out, forming new laser "gauntlets" to replace her previous weapons. Unlike the last ones, these ones didn't need a power cord. They were tapped into the costume itself. For a brief moment, she simply returned them to her side, and then looked out at the fallen warrior.

A second later, however, and she spasmed.

Small flashes of shiny metal went off against her body, thudding into her shoulder and side. She reacted to each one somewhat. However, after four of them had gone off, the sources of the metal fell to the ground. She snapped her head over to the source.

It was Shalua again. Only now, her fear seemed to have abandoned her. Her eyes were far more focused, her demeanor cold, and her good arm extended and aiming a gun at the girl. However…the ammunition within it wasn't meant to be fatal. One could hardly tell from the bullets now, which had splat against the girl's body as if it was covered with body armor, but they had not been traditional shots. They had been the sedative bullets she had earlier.

Shalua shook a bit now, however, when the girl looked back to her and was still conscious. However, she tightened her jaw and continued to aim the gun at her regardless. The girl herself let out a scowl.

"Tranquilizers…" She said aloud, causing Shalua to look a bit surprised. She didn't appear capable of seeing anything…but somehow she knew that she had her gun loaded with the sedative bullets, and that what hit her wasn't fatal but was meant to incapacitate her. "Is that why you never found me, big sister? Because you always only did something halfway?"

Shalua hesitated a moment at this biting retort. However, after a moment, she spoke back. "…It is you, isn't it?"

"I thought you would have realized that by now." The girl retorted as she turned her full body to her.

"You're alive… You're not a ghost…"

"Unfortunately for you."

Shalua looked over her again. Her eyes turned into a new sort of fear. One of shock and pity. "…What did they do to you?"

"Someone else did this to me, but it hardly matters." The girl answered as she started to walk toward Shalua. "You weren't there to save me from either one. Not that I really care at this point. I've learned long ago that I was the only one I could depend on. Therefore I feel little now that you've become a target."

Shalua hesitated a bit more, looking like she would fire again. She looked at a loss, not sure of what to do or say.

"Shelke…" Was finally all that she could say. "Why are you doing this? I still don't understand…"

"That doesn't matter." The girl answered. She was getting close to being in cutting range now. "Nothing does. Nothing will in a short time."

One of her sabers began to rise. Shalua hesitated. Her face began to grow into a different kind of fear again. She raised her weapon further, then lowered it again. She looked so confused.

"Shelke…I haven't seen you in so long… What's happened? Tell me what's going on!" She finally spout in desperation.

The girl didn't care. Her pale face was oblivious. Her saber was up now, and ready to thrust. Shalua looked completely torn. She didn't know what to do. Defend herself? Shoot again? Try to talk further? Run? Stay? Her indecision was paralyzing her, and keeping her from doing anything to stop the girl as she now came into range to strike her down. In another moment, her confusion would have cost her life.

That was when another sharp sound distracted everyone in the room.

The door, which had swung shut again from inertia, was smashed open. A dazzling electric glow was behind it.

Shalua and the girl both turned and looked to the source. Shalua herself was blinded and soon shrunk back involuntarily. But as for the girl, her visor allowed her to stare right at what had shown up. Some sort of mystical bird had landed in front of the door. Its feathers were yellow and golden colored, and were gleaming with a supernatural light. Electricity snaked around its body. However, as she looked to it…it became clear that the electricity was swarming and collecting around her bill…focusing itself. A light began to glow from the end of it.

The girl seemed to realize what was going on, but the new arrival had been preparing for too long. As she turned her body to try and block…the air shattered as a white-hot bolt of deadly electricity shot through the air and smashed into the girl's body. Turning her into a rag, she was violently flung through the air and smashed hard into the back wall, crushing cabinets and glassware as she did. Shalua couldn't look. She was forced to snap her head away as the girl, rippling with energy, ripped past her and impacted. However, over the sound of thunder roaring through the air of the small room, deafening in such a small space, she did cry out one word.

"No!"

It was too late. Even after being smashed into the wall, the force continued to shove the girl forward further, and electricity was pumped through her body even more. She turned into a vivid blue glow as she was electrified. The blast continued to last for what had to be only about two full seconds, but it seemed like much longer compared to the instantaneous blasts of energy that were normally seen.

At last, however, it was cut off. The golden glow continued, but the bolt of electric energy disappeared. Free of the energy, the girl, body now smoldering and possibly black from more than just the suit, collapsed to the ground limply. The rest of the room shuddered. Loose paper and debris flung around from the force of the air coming back together, whirling things around in a small tempest for a bit longer before beginning to settle the situation. Shalua's eyes were still wide, but she wasn't looking at the rescuer or at Ragnar. Her eyes had fully turned to the body of the attacker. For a brief moment, the chamber was silent. No one moved or said anything.

Yet that lasted only a few seconds. After that, a groan came out from the ground.

Ragnar had been beaten rather badly…but after nearly being killed by Sephiroth, even a simultaneous sixteen-hit strike was hardly good enough. That wasn't to say he didn't feel considerable pain after taking that beating, and he knew he was going to be sore for quite a while. Nevertheless, he managed to give a grunt and slowly and stiffly put his bruised arms and legs underneath him. Each move hurt, and his body was throbbing with hot pain. But slowly he managed it. Once there, gritting his teeth all the way, he slowly pushed himself up and got to his feet.

Panting and gasping, the man began to look around. He had been stunned after that last chain of blows. He barely remembered what happened just now…save for the sound of a powerful lightning blast. The lab was a disaster area, however, and as he turned his head to the door…he saw none other than Quetzacoatl poking her smooth bird head inside.

On seeing this, Ragnar continued to catch his breath, but also realized what must have happened. He turned his head and looked across the room, and saw that there was a blackened imprint against the back wall directly across from the esper. He realized she must have done it. He turned back a moment later and, after catching his breath a second longer, looked grateful as he gave a nod.

"I was going to be upset that you hadn't come back until now…but now I guess I'll have to be thankful."

The esper gave a shrug, and looked a bit uncomfortable. "…I _was_ losing track of time, forgetting about how the sun's position is different in relation to time depending where you fly in the world… But when I finally came back here, I sensed something evil. I also sensed your power suddenly take a nosedive. When that happened, I saw this." She looked a bit uneasy after that. "However…I don't know why…but something inside me seemed to tell me to just shoot. Shoot at full power. Almost screamed it in fact…and I couldn't stop it before I fired. I thought it had to be some sort of evil innate monster. I couldn't hold back before I blasted. Did I…?"

"Ragnar!"

That word caught Ragnar's attention and immediately tore him away from Quetzacoatl. It wasn't just the urgency. It was the fact that it was addressing him as "Ragnar", not simply "Mr. Vice" as it had all the times before. It was also rather filled with anxiety and fear. He turned around, and soon found himself staring back at Shalua.

Her eyes were wide with horror, and she was pointing down at the ground…right where the girl had to have fallen, based on what Ragnar saw from the wall. Instinctively, he quickly summoned Ragnarok back to himself. It was just on the ground, but his senses had been so dazzled on rising that he didn't know where it might be. Nevertheless, it evaporated in one flash of fire and reappeared in his hand a moment later. As he began to brandish it, he turned to the spot. Once there, however…he too froze.

The girl was most certainly unconscious. Ragnar hadn't seen the electricity blast, but he had thought it might have been enough to kill her based on what he heard. However, she didn't look too bad. He noted that he could now see her full head of brown, messy hair. He could also see her naked flesh exposed halfway down her torso and over part of her arms. Beyond that, however, was what was truly shocking him.

It was the attire.

It didn't seem wet and real anymore. It had taken a more artificial texture to it. However…it was blacker now. Not from being burned but from turning into what looked like liquid darkness. Part of it was still attached to the girl's lower body, enveloping her forearms and everything underneath her diaphragm.

But the rest of it had turned into something else. Something long, black, and like sticky oil. It seemed to be in some sort of strips that were flailed out from the main body…or more specifically where Quetzacoatl's bolt had landed. Yet that wasn't all. While the girl was motionless…the strips of material seemed to be _moving._ Writhing slowly on the ground like some sort of dying worms. However…they weren't staying slow long. Soon, they began to pick up speed. They seemed to be stunned for now…but they were getting faster. Recovering.

"What is it?" Quetzacoatl sounded, beginning to try and make her way through the doorway, which was much too small for her to begin with.

However, Ragnar didn't notice. Instead, he began to think back to the cryptic phrases that he had heard earlier.

_But you see…I can feel it now. I can't bear to look in a mirror, knowing what it's doing to me. I can feel it breaking into my mind…making me see the world as not anything human but as flesh and food._

_You're right. I'm not her. At least, I won't be very soon. He did something to me. It's not just a control, you see. It's changing me._

Ragnar didn't fully understand it, but he was still a very quick thinker. Something had been wrong with this picture from the start. Cold as she was, the girl didn't appear to have any real desire to attack them. She had something with Shalua, obviously, but he didn't know what. He hadn't been fully conscious when she exchanged some of her more suggestive words with the woman. Yet what he did know was this. Based on her words…someone had forced her to do this. He was right in thinking this wasn't the same girl from Cloud's descriptions. He wasn't sure _what_ it was or what was going on…but he had a feeling that whatever this thing was attached to her, she didn't want it. It had bound itself to her body somehow…

He had no idea if this was supposed to be an ally or enemy for real. He didn't know why she had come here or what half of what she said meant. Yet he did know that whatever was on her, it wasn't good. He could sense its evil.

With that in mind, Ragnar quickly channeled his magical power into his sword. Soon it began to gleam with new light again. Though it was hard, he began to walk toward the fallen girl and the black thing. Somehow…it _saw_ him. When it did, it tried something new. It tried to reattach itself her. Yet it was still too weak and stunned. It only managed to do a little before he was on it. Somehow, Quetzacoatl's bolt had weakened it more than the girl…at least he hoped. It had removed it partially from her body. Now…it was exposed and vulnerable.

He looked until he saw what seemed to be the biggest mass of the black ooze. Soon, his eyes rested on something. As it writhed…tried to cover it up…he caught a glimpse of something blood red inside the blackness. Something that looked like blood…

Seeing it, Ragnar tightened his teeth and drove his sword tip into it.

He thought he imagined it, but he knew that wasn't true. He _heard_ it give a small cry. Yet whatever it was, he seemed to have gotten it in its "center" or "heart". His blade, burning with intense heat, immediately burned it out and began to spread out its devouring fire around it into the blackness beyond. But even before he did…the ooze came to life. Now, the rest of the suit melted into inky blackness and yanked itself off of the girl, revealing a naked body beneath…but with some looks that almost seemed like tentacle stings…or suction marks…as if it had been trying to burrow itself deeper inside her. Yet it no longer thought of staying attached. It flung about madly, like a worm that had its main artery pierced. It flipped itself off of her and vainly struggled, while simultaneously trying to drag itself away.

Ragnar was mortified…but he didn't let it get far.

Clenching his teeth and focusing, he drove his sword in again and slashed at it, cutting it up even more, making more of it burn…

In a few moments…the last of its ooze "tentacles" was vanishing into flame. It was gone.

Ragnar immediately powered down his sword. He let out another exhale, trying to calm down. Behind him, desks and the frame of the wall began to shake as Quetzacoatl, desperate for a look, began to squeeze more of her body through. Her neck craned into the air and looked down, however. She seemed to be a bit stunned by what she could see.

However, Shalua reacted the most. Once Ragnar powered down and stepped back…she immediately rushed forward and to the side of the fallen girl. Ragnar himself kept his sword up. He looked over her again, and managed to catch some signs of chest rising and falling. She was alive, it appeared. However, she might still be a threat. He wasn't eager to get that close, even without that thing around anymore.

Shalua herself stripped off her white coat and put it around the girl. Her flesh was still pale, although Ragnar could see it appeared to be getting color back. That only served to confirm to him that whatever that thing was, it had been responsible. Soon after, the scientist flipped the girl over onto her back, exposing her face.

Her eyes were closed, and her mouth hung open slightly. There were no fangs in it. Her ears were smooth and human again. It was rather like those old vampire stories when you look at a victim after killing the "head" nosferatu. More of Ragnar's suspicions were confirmed. Whatever that thing had been, it had literally been turning her into a monster. Now that it was gone, the changes were reversed. Perhaps it really _had_ been trying to turn itself into her skin…

Shalua's eyes seemed fearful and nervous as she put her head to the girl's chest. She seemed to be making sure she was alive, although it looked that way pretty much to Ragnar. Yet once that was done, she turned and looked back up to him.

"We have to get her back to my lab. My equipment there is better suited to helping her."

Ragnar's look turned to confusion. "Your lab?" He asked in response. While he agreed that the girl probably needed to go to some medical facility, he had little trouble waiting to get a new flight to take her back to a hospital in Edge, where she could be monitored as dangerous. Again, she was not exactly a safe person to keep around, unconscious or not. Not until they found out more about what that thing was and why she had come there.

"Shouldn't we get her back to the Eastern Continent?"

"I can help her here." Shalua answered. "I know what you're thinking, Ragnar. And I don't want her imprisoned."

Now the man truly looked confused.

"Why not? She tried to kill us just now…"

"I have to talk to her." The woman cut off in response. "I have to try and figure out what's gone wrong…why she's mad at me and doing this."

A brief moment of hesitation followed…then one final statement.

"…She's my sister."

* * *

"You're on."

Siren only cast the smallest of glances…before closing her eyes and letting her melody sound. Even with a heart devoted to rage and death…Diablos was hard pressed not to feel his emotions moved as the haunting sound began to come from her throat.

Siren was "herself" again now. The only remnants of the woman that had been Rosso the Crimson lingered in her facial lines. They were still sharp and cruel, after all. But the woman, although humanoid in appearance, was no longer anything of the sort. Her long hair, loose behind her and folding like some sort of feathered golden green bird wings, stretched behind her and down to the ground. Her skin, sort of an olive-orange hue, was smooth and alluring when touched. She wasn't wearing anything at the moment, but it seemed to suit her just fine as she eased back into the cushioned chair. Her ivory teeth showed as her lips parted, and out rang her long, sad, moving melody. Her eyebrows, similar to slanted feathers, lowered over her purple eyes, as they gazed out with a sort of enchanting force while she sang her enrapturing song.

Diablos was well pleased as he leaned back and listened, forcing himself to not let so much as one entrancing note enter his mind or heart. The latter was easy…for he had no mercy or warmth within him. This esper, more than any of the others, was important to his goals. She had the most potential, and was the biggest key to his plan. Her voice…considered accursed and horrible by those who hadn't heard it, and peaceful and wondrous to those who had…was a far greater weapon than any magical attack. There were few people in history who could hope to possibly avoid the power of this song. For within Siren's bewitching voice dwelt a melody that aroused the deepest, purest feelings of happiness and contentment within the soul and memory of whoever heard it. The song held the key to a person's heart and mind…and therefore held the key to their will. A few minutes of listening to Siren's haunting chant was enough to make even the strongest, most resolute, and most determined person her slave. The esper possessed the ability to become the greatest heart's desire through the power of her enchanting voice. And no one could refuse what they yearned for more than anything else. Desire was something that all sentient life had. And all with desire were the prey of Siren.

That was why she could never be stopped for endless generations. The espers could only enforce small measures of control on her. Getting close risked hearing her voice. It was also how she was able to escape being the tool of the Warring Triad. Even they, with their immense magical powers, were not above desire. She was never fully the possession of any of them, although she came close with the Fiend. After all…since she was born of the darkness within the heart of another esper, her favorite thing was to create misery and discord in the hearts of men. And the Fiend excelled at that…

Among the few that could resist her charms was Diablos. He was easy. Composed of thousands upon thousands of separate base, vile entities, each one had its own specific desire that the others did not care for. Attempting to tempt him was the equivalent of one archer trying to shoot a thousand moving targets with arrows at once. Even so…Diablos could only maintain resistance through focus. An abandonment of desire was no way to beat her. Quite impossible, in actuality. Even a monk who attempts to remove all desire and attachment to worldly things has one desire left…the wish to be unattached to worldly desires. The far harder way was for the very exceptional few in the world, or even in history, who had grown to such an understanding of themselves that they could control their own desire in the same way that one controls one's temper or other emotions. Even so…one must also be able to keep her from forcing it out. Other than that…the only way to triumph was to block one's own hearing.

However, none within DeepGround were capable of this. And by the time they realized that the sound coming through the speakers was lulling them into a trance, it was already too late.

Siren sang for five straight minutes. One would have been sufficient, but she wanted to make sure that her hold on every living being within the walls of DeepGround was firm and secure. She could not enchant the espers, however. Diablos had made sure they were in silent areas. After all...if Diablos had allowed that, then soon they'd all be the minions of Siren and not him. But she easily managed to cast her spell over all of the regular soldiers, trainees, and prisoners. Like a master of the loom, she wove an intricate tapestry of domination over them. It wasn't enough to simply enchant them into being still and not defending themselves. She had to tell them much. She had to make them aware that they were now the slaves of her and Diablos. She had to make them understand that their will was now to be done, and that they would work endlessly, without food or sleep if needed, to carry out their desires. Most of all…they had to know that they were base, inferior creatures, and that the espers were their rightful gods. They would live and die at their command from this day forward. It was quite a bit…but with her power restored, Siren was more than capable of it.

Only then did she stop singing. Her mystical gaze leveled out unseen to her new servants and worshipers, knowing that DeepGround's area was now filled with ones who would do anything for her. The thought made her smile, especially knowing how she had been enslaved and nearly killed before by these rodents. From now on…no human, if she could help it, would get within ten miles of her without bowing down in worship of her.

With that knowledge, she turned the chair and back to Diablos.

"Interesting devices…these…'radios'." She mused. Now that her powers were fully back, every word she said was a wave of hypnosis and enchantment in itself. But without her singing, forcing her power into them, it was more bearable. Yet even hearing her voice was enough to make any normal person lose focus on fighting, start to forget what they were doing, or think the slightest evil thing about her. "The humans in this realm are yours to command, my lord."

"Good." Diablos answered. "There is much to do and little time. Once we have more workers, we will be able to modify this area to truly begin an engine of war. Yet for now…I want every new slave to begin to build me a temple. A very special one. I shall give you the specifications."

Siren crooked an eyebrow at this.

"Much as I would enjoy it, is their worship of us really essential if time is of the essence?"

This, however, only made Diablos show his teeth in a wide grin.

"This is for far more than idle worship. This temple is the beginning of what we need to become gods in more than name alone…"

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Briefly lived Shelke the Darkness... Yeah, I do that sometimes. I get good ideas, but then I realize that if I strung them out they'd just be filling patter. Then again...I might be the only one who thought it was a good idea in the first place, in which case it's good that I got rid of it already.

My idea for the suit was partially inspired by Venom's own suit, but the appearance itself was a knock off of Heartless Riku's costume (And yes, I know he's technically not a Heartless at any time, but that's how he's referred to, for those of you who are sticklers.).


	11. The Doomtrain

Ugh!

Sorry it's taken me so incredibly long to get this out. I've been dragging for weeks... I'm still writing almost every day, but I haven't been getting much done per day. I'm hoping my quality doesn't suffer...

_

* * *

_

Gasp… 

_Bahamut!_

_I'm a little surprised to see you back here, Bahamut. After that you just did…_

_You don't look so great, brother. And for a ghost that's rather bad…_

_Don't do anything that stupid again!_

_Still smiling? You must love pain…_

_Bahamut…?_

_…I did it._

_Did what?_

_Maybe it's because I'm an esper… Maybe it was because _she_ was an esper, that she was naturally sensitive to me… But I did it…_

_What, already?_

_I spoke to Quetzacoatl. I told her to do something. She heard me._

_Excuse me?_

_What? Is that even possible?_

_Espers and Cetra can hear the voices of the Planet. Why wouldn't they just hear mine? Couldn't I talk to them myself? It's the same thing, the voices of the spirits within it. And I still retain my spirit._

_That might explain why you were so drained, Bahamut… Being an observer is one thing. To actually try and influence something…_

_I don't think it can be helped, Leviathan…especially not after what I've seen…

* * *

_

Some of the power in Shalua's lab had been restored at this point. Only a few outlets, but some none the less. That was good for her. Ragnar doubted that a back-up generator would have been able to process this sort of machine.

Ragnar knew that special "med-tanks" like this had been in development during the war. They had been mostly theories of Isuzu at that point, but it appeared Shalua had a working prototype. It dealt with being able to exploit certain genetically modified strains of bacteria that had symbiotic roles within organisms. Normally they coexisted within all multicellular creatures in one strain or another. This particular method amplified their concentration and genetically enhanced their symbiotic functions a thousand fold. They were kept within a constantly oxygenated cylinder of special warm fluid to enhance their growth, and a patient was inserted alongside them. The result drastically enhanced the self-healing capabilities of the organism, enabling them to recover from a wide variety of severe injuries or maladies much quicker and more efficiently than other medical techniques could allow. They didn't even need air masks. The fluid was so oxygenated that even "land-adapted" lungs could breathe in it.

Currently, their "guest" was suspended inside Shalua's working prototype, held within her lab. The girl, who Shalua had named "Shelke", was still quite unconscious. She was clothed again, although not so well. It turned out that she must have not grown much since Shalua saw her last, because she was still the same size she was for all of her old clothing. Ragnar knew that because it seemed Shalua had been retaining these items, along with many other things of her sister's. She had kept them upstairs in the spare room that Quetzacoatl had nearly trashed. Luckily, she hadn't burst through the ceiling until the hallway, sparing them from the worst damage. Shalua had picked out some of her older clothes plus a blue, one-piece bathing suit. She was wearing that now as she floated submerged in the fluid.

Ragnar had to help load her inside. While he did, he couldn't help but notice that Shelke had two rather large, surgically implanted "nodes" or "outlets" in her lower back. It was kind of grotesque to even look at…like something from one of those old reanimated corpse monster movies. Shalua herself had looked first very disturbed and anxious to see them…but had eventually turned into plain worry. She said that these nodes were indicative of old attempts to enhance latter day Shinra soldiers with mako directly, rather than simply allowing them to bathe in pods. It gave them great powers…but it also had the rather nasty side effect of causing premature necrosis. It somehow remodulated the chemistry of the cell to where it became dependant on mako for life. If such was the case with Shelke…then she could die if she wasn't given a mako treatment every 20-30 hours. And unfortunately, there were no such facilities in Shalua's lab. Technically, it was illegal for them to be _anywhere_, now that mako power was stopped for good. She had doubts that even the med-tank could keep her alive when the critical time came. But that meant two things. One was that Shelke would have to get to some source of mako, likely wherever she came from, within anywhere from the next 18-28 hours. (Shalua had confirmed that she didn't start "powering down" until after the suit was removed from her. Horrible as it was…it had been "feeding" her in some way.)

The other, which unnerved Ragnar far more, was that at least one mako reactor somewhere was still functioning…

Shalua looked up from her console, getting Ragnar's attention. He was standing in front of the cylinder, and he turned his head to her. She was seated at a computer terminal nearby, monitoring Shelke's vitals. As for Quetzacoatl, the esper was in one side of the lab too. She could actually fit in here. After a moment, Shalua let out an exhale, and leaned back.

"…She's stable now, and improving." She stated. "She'll be conscious within the next thirty minutes."

Ragnar hesitated on hearing this. However…now that it was cleared up, a new thought soon began to come to mind. Something that he had been thinking about ever since they first started talking again back at the research facility.

"…You said she was your sister?"

Shalua's face lost a bit of enthusiasm at this, and she bowed it as she let out an exhale.

"How is that possible?" Ragnar answered. "This girl can't be older than ten. I thought you had been living alone since the days of the old Shinra. That's at least ten years ago now."

Shalua sighed again, and leaned back a bit more.

"…I can't explain it myself either, Mr. Vice." She responded. "But it's her. I know it's her. It's not someone who looks like her. It's not some demon or wraith like I almost believed earlier. And based on some of my tests regarding simulated 'brain age', it's not a clone either. It's her. I could hear it in her voice. She knew me. She knew about us. She was colder…more emotionless…but she recognized me. My only theory is that whoever…" She grimaced here, looking rather uncomfortable. "…Experimented…on her…got another rare side effect from mako treatments. Sometimes it interferes with the DNA shortening process and undoes free radical damage. It prevents aging. At least…it did in some lab mice and one monkey."

Ragnar hesitated, but then walked back a bit more to one of the pieces of machinery in the room. Once he was there, he used it to lean on. He aimed his gaze at Shalua.

"…A lot of things have been happening over the past few days that don't seem to be making sense, and they're getting worse." He stated. "Is there anything else I need to know that you haven't told me?"

Shalua kept her own eyes on her keyboard here. Her face didn't look too enthusiastic. She reached up at length and removed her glasses, and rubbed the bridge between her nose. While she did…she began to speak again.

"…I may not look it, now that I'm about seventeen years older and a few body parts shy…but there was a time in which I considered myself prime SOLDIER material." Shalua began. "I was rather good at physical combat in those days. Top of my class in P.E. I was just as smart then as I am now too. The old Shinra Corporation was interested into expanding into female SOLDIERs as well. Because of that…I got the personal lookup from the Turks. No abductions necessary. In those days, being picked for SOLDIER was still a good thing for you if you were in the middle class looking for a good opportunity."

She hesitated a moment, letting out another small sigh, and then turned back to the med-tank.

"…Shelke looked pretty much the same in those days as she does now. Maybe a bit…softer. But her none the less. You see, we never had it entirely easy growing up. Dad left mom when Shelke was born. Mom herself died when we were both still young. I had to look out for both myself and her. This was a good opportunity. Candidates for SOLDIER who came along willingly were handsomely compensated in those days…" Shalua trailed off here…and then snorted. "…The price of your soul, I suppose."

Ragnar said nothing to this, although he knew from some of Cloud's own stories that Shalua wasn't exaggerating much.

"Shelke was excited at first." Shalua continued. "She thought it was a great opportunity for me. I thought the same way. The day came when I had to spend a weekend at the Shinra Building to be evaluated for class designation. To do that…I had to leave Shelke alone for a weekend. She was ten at the time, like you noticed. I was nervous about it. Midgar wasn't a good place to live in even then. But they wouldn't let me take her. I had no one to entrust her to. I couldn't afford to miss the opportunity…so I made probably the biggest mistake of my life. I left her home alone. I said for her to go ahead and miss school. Just stay in the house. Keep the doors locked. Only let me in. After that, I went off.

"It wasn't long after that point that I realized something was wrong. I had thought I was pretty strong and smart before then, but then I saw the other candidates. They were _much_ better. Even the lowest of them were mopping the floor with me in the physical areas. I was barely keeping up mentally with some of them. I didn't have the stamina either. I might have been in good shape for the marines, but I wasn't a SOLDIER. I could tell that even then." She paused. "…I think the examiners had to be realizing that too. At first, they seemed puzzled at my poor performance. Later on they started to visibly frown at me. So maybe they weren't in on it…

"At any rate, the weekend ended, and I was sent back home with a rather unhopeful outlook. At any rate, I was eager to get back. I hadn't been allowed any calls since I had gotten there, and I couldn't afford a cellular. So I got back as fast as I could to check in on Shelke."

The one eye in Shalua's skull narrowed and chilled.

"…There weren't too many signs of a struggle. The door had been kicked in. That was about it. Nothing was stolen either. Only Shelke.

"At first, I went into a fury of depression and despair. I desperately clawed at my mind for answers. I beat myself up for being stupid enough to leave her alone. I said I should have stayed there rather than let any opportunity, no matter how great, get between us. I thought of going out and assaulting every perverted thug and monster in the city. I imagined finding her dead in a gutter somewhere with who knew what done to her. I was unable to do anything for a whole day…even call the police.

"Then…I remembered.

"I thought back to my tests…about how it seemed like I had no business being there, even as a third class SOLDIER. I thought about Shelke. She was only ten…but she was already a far greater prodigy at computers and science than me. She knew how to work with technology better than experts twice her age in some cases. And she was the best at her own class, especially in gymnastics class. She had actually gotten a city award for her performance in local competitions. Finally…I remembered when that Turk had come. I remembered how whenever I was talking to him, greeting him, offering him anything, sharing my information…his eyes kept wandering away from me toward Shelke…

"Until that day I had heard how the Shinra made people 'disappear' from time to time, but it wasn't until then that I really believed it. After that, I didn't bother calling the police. The police were in Shinra's pocket. For all I knew, _they_ had carried out the abduction. Then they could claim it had been a drug bust or something. But I was desperate to find out what they had done to Shelke. And I knew the only person I could count on to help me out was myself. So from that day on…I waged a one-person war against the Shinra."

She inhaled a bit here, looking grimmer.

"…I won't bore you with all the details. I did manage to enhance my knowledge of science and computers to give myself fake identities and get numerous jobs working for smaller Shinra companies. All the time, however, I was looking for answers. Trying to find some bit of information on what they had done to Shelke and where she had gone. There was a lot of hacking and dumpster diving. After a productive first month, I went pretty much cold. And I've been that way until this morning. All of my evidence vanished after I had managed to find out that a troop of Shinra soldiers and a Turk had broken down the door and taken her. Even learning _that_ nearly cost me. As you might have guessed, I was on the wrong end of a gun more than once. And it's rather hard for any one person to get around the Shinra. Especially without some group like AVALANCHE backing you. I had to cover my escapes in rather violent ways some times. One of them cost me my arm. But I didn't care. I was possessed. I had to find her. I refused to die until I had found her. I had little reason to believe she was still alive at that point. She might have been killed in some program or mutated into a monster or anything else. But I didn't care about that either. I wouldn't be able to rest until I found her.

"I had gotten another dummy job working for Urban Development in Midgar when the Shinra fell. After that, I fell in with Reeve. It wasn't intentional. He caught me in the act of trying to make off with mass theft of files during Midgar's evacuation. However, he let me go. There wasn't a Shinra left to be upset about it. In fact, he wanted to know what was on them himself. I actually ended up working for him. He was interested in finding out the location of Shinra's various dirty secrets and 'lost souls' himself. And we found quite a bit too. And before I joined up with the Planet Protector Army to fight against Shinra's latest incarnation, he tipped me off with enough rumors he knew to start finding some trace evidence about something I hadn't been aware of before."

Shalua turned to Ragnar after saying this. "…And now, I think it's time you become aware of it too."

This made the man's eyebrow creak. "What are you talking about?"

"Where I believe they put Shelke along with who knows how many other people." Shalua answered. "The place they called 'DeepGround'."

* * *

Aerith couldn't help but let out a frown as she pulled the paper away and let it rest against the table once again. She looked back up and over to Tifa, seated across from her. The dark-haired woman stared regretfully back.

"Nice way of saying, 'welcome back', isn't it?" She asked.

Aerith sighed and leaned back a bit more in her own chair. "At least the kids are having a good time…"

Thankfully, coming home had been without incident. That might have been because they hadn't traveled with any of the essences this time, but they had arrived safe and sound at Junon. From there, it was a few more hours of a drive in a bus before they finally returned to Edge. Naturally, Crain was rather excited to see Samoa and Simoa when they returned, and it didn't take them long to run off upstairs. The students were grateful to see her again as well, and soon began to bombard her with the events over the past few days in one giant, incoherent flurry. Most of them were excited that she'd be back to teaching class as normal again, and Aerith had to admit that after all that had happened it would be nice to take her mind off of things. All of the events over the past few days had unnerved her considerably.

That's when Tifa gave her the bad news about what had passed in the local laws since she was gone.

"At least Cloud is coming back today. He has a way with vandals." Tifa answered, giving a little half laugh during the joke. However, Aerith didn't answer it or seem to notice it. That made the woman grow somber again, and lean back in her chair. They were silent a moment longer.

"Maybe it would be best if we stayed quiet for a while." Tifa suggested.

Aerith, however, didn't change her frown.

"The whole point of creating this place was to show the kids that they weren't freaks or monsters but could use their magic to help people. To tell them to stop now because other people don't understand it is crazy. It's like people telling you not to practice martial arts because it scares them."

"I'm not saying that they're right." Tifa answered. "But be honest. What's going on here isn't normal."

Aerith looked into Tifa's eyes and stared.

Tifa sighed and rolled her own eyes. "You know what I meant."

The Cetra bowed her head soon after and exhaled. "…Yes, I know." She answered tiredly. "I suppose that's something I have to accept as well. In the end, I have to accept that the kids and me are special, if for no other reason than we have these powers over magic. Still…"

She paused, but then looked back up to Tifa.

"I don't like it being stated like that. Saying we're 'not normal' makes us sound like we're creatures rather than other people."

Now it was Tifa's turn to look a little upset and bow her head. "…Alright, that was a poor choice of words on my part. But you know what I mean. Other people won't understand. They can be stupid, panicky, judgmental…"

"I know that, but I don't see how doing what they want and being afraid to show our abilities in public is going to do anything to change that." Aerith protested. "And even if it does, what then? This isn't going to go away. More kids will be born with these powers. What's going to become of them?"

Tifa didn't have an answer for that. She had to sit silently for a bit longer.

"Alright." She said after a moment. "But if we keep on with this…and the police come over and say we're doing something illegal…or some lynch mob does more than just vandalize the place…then what?"

Aerith didn't answer that either. She looked on for a moment…but then leaned back in her chair. Her eyes turned to the ground. She stared there and folded her arms across her chest. Unfortunately, those were likely possibilities. Actually…they were more like certainties. It had happened once. Now what? If they defended themselves…had Cloud or Ragnar or Tifa chase them off…they'd only come back with more. They might give fake stories to the police and let fear and ignorance do the rest. And what about them? Could they get the same legal restitution? What if someone _did_ break in and decide to hurt some of the children? What could they do?

A small dark tongue in the back of Aerith's memory did what it managed to do every so often. It flicked.

_I could scatter them in a hail of fire and thunder._

_I could turn them all into frogs as a warning._

_I could incase them in ice from the waist down and make them beg me to let them go, whining like whipped dogs. "We'll never bother you again, Miss Aerith! Never, never, never! We swear!"_

_I could walk down to Town Hall and flip it into the ocean with a tornado, demanding that the people of the city swear allegiance to the almighty Sorceress Aerith, and bow down to me while offering gifts of-_

"I don't know." Aerith asked, cutting off the dark chain of thoughts and throwing them back into oblivion. "I guess we'll just have to see what comes."

* * *

When she came to, she didn't wince or moan or shift. She didn't even hold still for a little while in order to get her bearings. Her eyes simply opened, revealing her blue gaze, shining with the look of mako.

Shelke's eyes flickered around her enclosure, looking at where she was located. She soon realized that she was immersed in liquid, and that it was bubbling up around her. It had some sort of bluish tint to it as well. It was odd, however. She hadn't noticed it initially due to its temperature matching her own so closely. Yet another factor in confusing her was the fact that she wasn't wearing a face mask of any kind. She appeared to be breathing the water itself.

Before she could make anything of this and try to figure out what was happening…a beep went out overhead. She heard it muffled within the liquid, but the moment it sounded the bubbles cut off. A moment later, and a trio of hisses went out beneath her. She looked down and saw three panels slide open. Almost immediately, the water began to drain out from them.

The girl was conditioned at this point to survey and respond, not to waste unnecessary time and energy on surprise or emotion. To that end, she waited as the water continued to drain and examined it. She didn't care too much about the liquid. In going over Shalua's files, she had already found everything she needed to know about the med-tank and how it operated. She was still a bit uncomfortable when it lowered past her mouth, and she had to rather unpleasantly wretch in order to get the water out of her lungs. Even then, she continued to cough and hack afterward. Luckily, the nature of the water was quick drying, and she didn't have to long.

Once she had recovered, she raised her hand and examined it. She didn't even show much shock when she saw that there was nothing there but her skin. The suit that had been trying to graft itself to her body…perhaps even turn her into a thing like Diablos…was gone. She couldn't deny that she felt relief…that her face actually turned from tense to more relaxed on the knowledge of that. That was all she showed, however. She would not allow herself to indulge in anything more, even though any normal person would have probably been brought to tears at the knowledge that they were free from that thing. Even so, it was hard for her to not show traces of feeling pleasant as she felt various sensations on her own skin…not being filtered through that thing. Of course…this led her to try and think back to how this had happened. That material wouldn't come off on its own, after all. She had learned that the hard way…

She tried to think back, remember what was going on and how she had gotten there. The memories of being in Weiss' throne room were clear enough…along with the feeling of terror. It was burned into her mind now. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to clear it out again. She had to compartmentalize it now just to keep from thinking about it…an advantage of military training. Her mind felt like it had nearly been broken into pieces when she managed to choke out her pledge of obedience to that thing… After that, she dared not disobey again. She thought she had forgotten what fear was. She was wrong. In addition…she knew what was now enveloping almost all of her body. A thing. A monster. Maybe even a demon… It made her feel as if she wasn't able to move at all. It was more like that suit was moving for her, doing everything for her, supporting all of her thoughts and responding. Her own body felt like it was going dead within it…

Yet as she continued to wear it, she remembered feeling warmer again. Rather…warmth began to spread from her skin into her body's core, as if that suit had been _growing into her_. And when it did, she began to lose her concentration on trying to think of a way out of it and away from Diablos. She began to lose her focus. She started to forget what some of the more sophisticated devices on the helicopter that she never used did. She started losing the ability to plan for danger or combat. Instead…all she thought about was attacking. And not just with cool, practiced moves. Rough ones. _Violent_ ones.

She started feeling hungry when she landed…and all she could think about was eating meat. As time went on…she started picturing various meat dishes with less vegetables and more raw. She started feeling safer in the shadows and the forests…especially the dark, old parts. Towns were beginning to unsettle her…make her more uncomfortable… They seemed alien…harsh… But her hate toward Shalua began to increase. She felt her passion surging…and, toward the end, even a touch of _hunger_ as well as anger toward Shalua… Her memory continued to get fuzzy. She started forgetting what things were. The whole world was becoming mysterious and unnatural to her, and she even felt herself starting to hiss and growl at noisy machines. That was when she noticed her teeth were getting sharper…

Then there was the break in…the fight…the pain of some dazzling light that hurt her even though the visor was doing the seeing for her. And yet, for a moment…she actually felt more clear-headed right before she passed out. She saw that former general Ragnar Vice…the esper being they called Quetzacoatl…and through it all, Shalua Rui…

_So…she brought me here._

The water finished draining. Because it dried so quickly, Shelke was dry in moments. She looked down over her body, and saw that her old clothing was gone. That thing had probably devoured it…and taken it with it when it came off. She supposed the esper's blast was responsible. She might regret that she had done that soon. Shelke had taken an oath earlier. She was of DeepGround until she died. And to DeepGround, everything that was non-DeepGround was an enemy.

She would have to get out of here and go back. She didn't know what exactly she could do, but she had to try. Diablos was likely taking control of everything now, using the guise of Weiss. To be honest…the thought of going back into Diablos' presence scared her. It reminded her of the terror… And even she, controlled as she was, couldn't make that fear go away. She knew right then that if she got close she would freeze up. And if she did…it would only take moments for him to put another suit on her…or subject her to that terror again…

She'd rather die than feel that again.

As the cylinder automatically popped open, she looked down over her body. She nearly frowned. It seemed her sister had kept her old things. It seemed so childish now to wear such a cheap, useless bathing suit. No utility whatsoever except covering up your nakedness. At any rate, this meant she had no weapons and little in the way of body protections. Soon after, she looked back up and out of the cylinder. She stepped forward and walked out of it.

She had barely set foot on the ground outside when she caught her out of the corner of her eye. Before she could turn, her voice already called out.

"…Hello, Shelke."

The girl immediately turned her head over to the source. She hadn't seen it inside the cylinder, but once outside she noticed that Shalua was there, standing nearby. After all, this did seem to be her laboratory. She looked rather different. Far different from the person she yearned for in her visions. That was obvious. It had been over a decade, after all. She might have ceased to age, but others did not. She also immediately noticed that the years "hadn't been kind". She was missing a limb and an eye.

_…Good._

She stood still, and didn't say anything else.

Shalua swallowed a bit. She looked nervous and hesitant, but Shelke doubted it was due to fear, despite what she had to have done coming in. She clearly didn't know what to say.

"It…it's been a while…"

Shelke didn't respond.

Shalua swallowed again. "…Shelke, where have you-"

"You didn't take my advice, I see."

Shalua went silent at this, and appeared slightly confused at that sudden rebuff.

"Did you think I was any less dangerous, or at least any less eager to kill you, because you removed that suit from my body?" Shelke continued.

The scientist stared in stunned silence for a moment, surprised at that answer.

"Shelke…what's happened to you? How are you like this? You haven't aged a day since I saw you last." She hesitated here, and grew more uneasy. "And…you're so…" She began to say, but didn't finish.

"Cold? Ruthless? Dedicated?" Shelke answered for her. "Disciplined? You learn discipline early when you go into DeepGround. Based on what I hacked of your files, I take it you have some knowledge of that place."

Shalua's eyes enlarged for a brief moment when she heard the last sentence. "So, you're the one who…" A pause went by afterward, however, and she looked even more horrified. "…Oh no…" Was all that she could say, as she began to realize what exactly had caused all of these changes in Shelke. At the same time, she realized that what she had discovered was real…

"…What did they do to you, Shelke?"

"Do you really want to know?" The girl answered, taking another step forward. "I'm flattered. Obviously I was never that interesting to begin with. I'm sure I wasn't nearly as stimulating a topic as Planet energy waves. But that's alright. I'm happy with what I am now. I've learned how to control my fear and self-doubt. I've become strong enough to kill, and to kill most who could be a threat to me. I can take care of myself now without having to depend on other people. But most of all…I've learned to take care of myself rather than trust in foolish hopes or, especially, other people.

"That was the hardest lesson of all to learn, Shalua. It took me about four years. Four years of being tortured whenever I defied them or tried to escape. Four years of punishment whenever my uniform wasn't on perfect or I missed a step. Four years of them operating on my body and filling it with chemicals that the original Shinra had long since discontinued for normal troops. Four years of being buried alive in DeepGround. You know what my biggest regret is about that time?"

She stepped closer again, almost making Shalua shrink back, as her eyes focused hard on her.

"I suffered needlessly. I could have been a dedicated member of DeepGround within a year. Maybe less. But no…I had to cling to the foolish hope that you were coming. That you'd save me. I had to scream out uselessly into the darkness for weeks on end for you to help. My big sister…my great savior… Even after I finally realized you weren't going to come, I held on to some notion that you might be captured or hurt. Something had stopped you. One of these days, I would see you again. But the days kept passing. So did the months. So did the years. And still nothing."

The girl's hands balled into fists.

"I'm not sure I even hate you for failing to come, Shalua. But I do hate you for making me trust you. I hate you for giving me the crushing, empty emotion of being abandoned and forgotten, and then have DeepGround painfully extract that thought from me. And I blame you for every lash and ache that I received as a result of my faith in you. I thought that I had abandoned all desire…but even now, I'd kill you where you stood if I had my weapons."

Shalua was rendered silent for a brief moment.

"Shelke…" She began to protest. "I've been trying for fourteen years to find you. I scoured every record in Shinra I came across. I went into countless classified areas. I've thought of nothing but-"

"Your 'good intentions' mean very little to me." Shelke answered. "Only that you didn't try hard enough."

Hearing this, however…made Shalua's face suddenly tighten.

"Try hard enough?" She echoed back, nearly shouting. "Look at me! Look what I lost trying to find you!"

"An arm and an eye." Shelke calmly answered. "Did you lose the ability to age? Did you become dependant on mako to live? Did you lose was left of your childhood? Your innocence? Your conscience? Your soul before you even knew you had one? Have you had to kill other children your age or younger or be killed by them? Have you had to go for almost ten years without seeing the sun? Or hearing a bird sing? Or feel the wind against your face?"

Shalua's face tightened up at this, and she was silent and backed down slightly. Shelke herself had stopped approaching, but now the two were at a standoff. Shalua lookd down to the ground as Shelke continued to talk. When she was done, she was silent for just a brief moment before speaking again.

"…I didn't, Shelke. But I did have to feel like what was left of my heart was ripped out of my chest. You can't stand there and try and tell me that I didn't suffer too from having you gone. And I wish I could put myself in your place for what happened to you…"

"You can't, so spare me your sentiment." Shelke coldly answered. "Yet I would more than happily grant your wish to feel the suffering I went through if I had my weapons."

Shalua raised her head back to her. She opened her mouth to say something else, but whatever it is never came out. At that moment, there was a hiss of hydraulics from nearby. Both women turned and looked to the source when it went off.

The room had been empty save for Shalua when Shelke awoke, but she remembered there had been more than one person there on arrival. She also knew who she had come to kill and steal from while she was there. Now she saw him as the door slid aside and revealed his form standing within the frame.

Ragnar looked out and hesitated, obviously on seeing her awake and talking to Shalua. She looked between the two of them for a moment, and seemed to judge rather quickly from their positions and looks that they were not moments from a tearful reunion. After looking between the two for a while, Shalua herself swallowed a bit, cast her gaze down, and then stepped back and went to a chair nearby. As for Shelke herself, she turned completely to Ragnar. She stood there and stared on at him.

The man looked around a bit more, but then ventured something.

"Am I…interrupting?"

"Ragnar Vice, former General of the Planet Protector Army." Shelke announced, getting his attention and making it clear immediately that she knew a bit about him. Her eyes went out and touched on Shalua for a moment. She wasn't looking at her anymore…although she did flash her eyes up for a moment to her, but then looked away again. She was quiet for now. Obviously, the man was the one who was really running the show, and she had expected he wanted to talk with her or something. Seeing that, Shelke looked back up to him.

"…Here to arrest me?" She asked.

Ragnar hesitated here. He seemed to actually be thinking that over for a moment. After a few seconds longer, however, he began to step in. "…Dr. Rui told me that you were her sister."

"A moot point. I'm a terrorist who attacked that airfield in Edge, and I meant to kill you not long ago." She almost immediately answered. "Again, I ask you if you're here to arrest me or not."

Ragnar paused a bit longer on hearing that. However, his look soon focused, and his gaze narrowed on her. He came to a halt a moment later, still at a good distance, and began to talk again.

"Shalua told me what she knew about this 'DeepGround'. Are you affiliated with it?"

Shelke hesitated herself on hearing that.

"…Yes." She finally said, seeming to have thought whether or not to answer that, but then finally said so.

"Did your group hack into Dr. Rui's files and find out about the Well of the Guardian Forces through them?"

Shelke hesitated again here. She actually looked away and seemed to think for a moment. A few seconds went by, but Ragnar was patient during them. After a moment longer, she let out a slow exhale.

"…I suppose nothing is hurt by me answering your questions at this point." Shelke finally concluded. "It no longer matters. DeepGround, by now, could be destroyed. It's logical to assume that the rest of the personnel received a similar fate as I did…" She paused here, and looked back up to Ragnar in a flash.

"…What happened to the suit I was wearing?"

"Incinerated." Ragnar answered. "From the files, you probably know about the esper Quetzacoatl. She managed to make it peel off of your skin. Then we destroyed it." His look turned somewhat more concerned. "…Did DeepGround graft that on to you?"

"No." Shelke answered. "DeepGround didn't have the capabilities. That wasn't a weapon. It was an organism of some sort. Something that one of the espers we managed to revive somehow generated. One called Diablos."

Shelke noticed something happen on hearing this. Ragnar seemed to catch himself somewhat. His pupils shrank slightly.

"…You brought him to life?" He asked, sounding a little less official this time.

"Yes." Shelke answered. "It was an attempt to use the rejuvenating effects that had happened to Horus Preene on our leader, Weiss the Immaculate."

Now…Shalua was the one who stiffened and raised in her chair. So much so that Shelke's attention was turned to her. However, she was looking to Ragnar.

"I was afraid of that, Mr. Vice." She told him. "Like I warned you earlier. They tried it before seeing my latest conclusions. Whatever that Diablos thing is that Shelke mentioned, it took their leader's body for its own rather than evoked a separate being."

Ragnar paused himself a moment longer. But then, he turned back to Shelke and focused on her.

"Are you telling me that you went along with Diablos? That he was the one who ordered you out here and gave you that suit?"

"I did not don the suit by my own will." Shelke answered. "I was forced to obey. The suit was designed to enhance my abilities, but was also to put me under Diablos' control. Based on what I felt, I feel it was also attempting to alter my physicality in some way."

Ragnar once again stopped. He moistened his lips and began to look more tense. Immediately, Shelke realized he knew something that he wasn't letting on. He clenched his hand into a fist and relaxed again, but then in the end let out another exhale. After that, he stepped forward again, getting closer to Shelke.

"…I need to know everything that you've done with those essences, and what's going on right now with the espers you've unleashed."

Shelke paused yet again here. She had to think a moment. Why should she cooperate with them? They weren't of DeepGround…and one of them was the only woman left alive that Shelke truly hated. She didn't care to assist her, even in an indirect manner. These people had been her enemies not long ago. No doubt, Ragnar himself was fooled by how she appeared now, seeming to be an innocent child. That would explain why he hadn't locked her up or killed her. There was no reason to trust any of them, or to give them any assistance.

Yet at the same time…the obviousness was hitting her. She realized now that DeepGround had to be taken over at this point. It had been dying for some time, and without Weiss it was destroyed. She had nowhere to go back to. Yet that didn't change the fact that she had to head back. The only active mako pods left on Gaia were in DeepGround. Without them, she'd be dead in less than a day… She wasn't even sure how many hours she had left now. She had to get back in there or go to someone who could sustain her life in a different way while she had time. And, unfortunately…her estranged sister might be the only one who could. If she went back now without that black suit, she'd be a target for Diablos. And like she had thought before…she'd rather die than have that fear punish her again. And she might as well commit suicide if she was going to take any path that would end up with another black suit grafted to her body. Fortune had been rather wicked with her for most of her life…but one lucky thing that had happened was that it had been removed. She feared that if it had been much longer…and there wouldn't have been anything to peel off…

Ragnar Vice had a history of forgiving enemies and showing clemency to opponents. If she was going to do anything, sticking with him might be a good first step. DeepGround might be gone, but she still had enough loyalty to not want its image perverted by that monster that had been unleashed. She could still give them one final victory.

…And there was one other faint notion as well.

Under Diablos, she had been forced to feel pain and terror that was beyond humane or rational. It had made her remember what it felt like to be completely alone and totally in agony. She thought she had killed all of her emotions, including caring about whether it happened to her or anyone else.

But with the return of the feelings of hopelessness and despair…came just a trace of an altruistic feeling…a feeling that no one deserved that sort of pain…

_Very well then._

"…I had better start at the beginning." Shelke finally stated. "Back with when Weiss fell ill…"

* * *

Diablos' fist clenched momentarily. A sneer broke out across his face. He wasn't sensing the wraith that he had placed on Shelke. That could only mean one thing. It was dead, which meant that she was likely dead as well. By that point, they had to practically be united.

_And now I have no way to ascertain how successful she was… My fault for trying to do too much at once and not keeping a better eye on her._

_Oh well._

He couldn't worry about that right now. He had too many other things to think about. And one of them was right here.

His fist relaxed as his eyes flickered down to his other hand. Within it was the cylinder that Shelke had neglected to drink from. Fortunately, she hadn't spilled it. She had shut the capsule before dropping it. But did she really think he was stupid enough to not see that she had failed to drink from it? It didn't really matter at this point, however. The essence wasn't wasted. And soon he'd be able to use it again. Things were still coming together despite the loss of a servant. DeepGround was already his domain, and rapidly being remade in his image. Soon things would expand…

With that in mind, Diablos looked up again to where he was. At one point, this had been the foundation for a new mako reactor. With the loss of the others save for Zero, DeepGround had been building a new one when they were still in their prime, prior to the eruption that destroyed most of them. When that happened, this construction project had to be abandoned. Yet it was back on course again now.

In its early stages, train routes had been built in so that materials could be transported in and away from the site with quick efficiency. After all, you couldn't build them too close and expect there to be any true net gain of power. This one was more on the fringes of DeepGround's territory. Much of the rock beneath Midgar had been tunneled out and shipped away. It was odd now. Perhaps it was a result of the other mako reactors, or perhaps something else entirely…but much of it was black and solid, like obsidian only rougher and a bit more fragmentary. Diablos loved it. It reminded him of the old Temple of Chaos. Now, he wouldn't be making anything so grandiose this time around, but he'd still get quite a benefit from it. This area in particular was meant to be the reactor hub. Pipes had been constructed and arranged to form where the central reactor would be, making a sort of inner vestibule area similar to a church of some sort, carved into the rock and overlaid with pipes and technology. The mako pit still had quite a ways to go. It was only about a foot deep on average.

This area was perfect for the new temple…and Diablos' devoted slaves were hard at work.

Siren knew her craft well. No need for whips or taskmasters. Each of the soldiers in DeepGround had shorn most of their clothing for just the barest essentials around the private parts, and now they covered themselves with grime and sweat as they labored. They were joined by their former trainees, who were much the same. Most of them were using tools to cut away the pipes and other machines. They were no longer necessary. A considerable sum were hewing new stones out and bringing them in. Diablos had another use for the railroad at the moment…so they had to use motorized carts for the time being. Their eyes were blank, and they did not tire as they continued to work. They no longer knew pain or exhaustion, and they hauled and labored constantly without pause for water or rest. They were working well. After all, there wasn't a need for coordination. Under the directive of Siren, each immediately knew how they had to work as a unified collective to achieve their goals. And so they went.

Of course, they couldn't work at full speed forever. Eventually it would kill them. And in their current brainwashed state, they wouldn't even telegraph it. They'd just drop dead when they couldn't work anymore. In the future, all of Diablos' laboring slaves would need to take breaks for water and rest. Yet for now, time was short and the temple was essential. They had to work until they were dead. He'd get more later. And when he did, he could worry about more semantics. Proper attire and appearance, for one thing. For now, he had consented himself with his latest slaves fashioning a crude iron and branding themselves as slaves of Diablos with a single symbol. They'd do better when he had time. After all, he wanted more than just laborers. He wanted decorators, craftsmen, and special slaves to work his machine of war… Eventually, both for Siren and himself, he'd want slaves to act as personal attendants. Perhaps, if the mood caught him right, he'd enjoy a harem… But that could wait.

Last but not least, he'd have to pick the greatest warriors out of all his current slaves. Each one of them would receive a special gift, much as Shelke the Darkness had. This time, he'd make sure it took full effect before releasing them…

_So much to do and so little time._

The temple was still very crude. The slave masons were only starting to put on the latest perimeter. Sadly, he didn't have enough. Without Siren's help, he realized that he was able to use the primal emotions of fear to control the other creatures in the area…such as the gargoyles and the little man/hound things that they had made. But they weren't as precise as human slaves. Their utility was limited to larger, cruder jobs. He needed more to truly get his war engine running. But before that…he needed this done…

He could check on it in a moment.

For now…he wanted to look at this.

Diablos turned his head away from the temple construction and to where he stood…within an old, rusted, battered train engine. A few loose cars were haphazardly cast around behind it, thrown off the tracks by various catastrophes and now rotting away. However, all were still attached to the main engine, which had miraculously stayed put. All around him was broken glass, gears, and other appurtances. It was little more than a wreck now. Perhaps weeds or other filth were growing inside it. Parts of it had been gutted and scavenged. Large parts of it were torn away from damage, allowing him to look out and onto the construction area. In all respects, it was now worthless. Just another ruin like most of Midgar, above and below…

But perhaps he could change that.

Until now, Diablos thought he needed sentient beings to make new espers. However, he began to wonder if he was wrong. He could sense this latest energy source rather strongly. This particular essence seemed to resonate frequently with a particular dim-witted, yet powerful, source. A large portion of Diablos reacted to it. It seemed as if part of his nature knew what it was…or was very familiar with its ways. And it seemed to be pulled to him, constantly coming back again and again. Yet most of all…every time he looked to it…he got the idea of a train. That image burned in his memory.

_So…why not? Still two more even if this doesn't work._

With that in mind, Diablos looked ahead of him. The part that had held the mako fuel source had been removed. Only a large, cavernous hole in rusted metal remained of where the train had once possessed its source of "life". Seeing it there, Diablos raised a hand and began to use his talons to unscrew the top of his cylinder. Soon the lid had popped off and fell to the metal floor, letting out a ring as it landed and rolled around on it. With this done…Diablos leaned his arm forward with the cylinder into the cavernous area. Like some sort of libation…he poured it out entirely into the cavernous hole.

That finished, Diablos straightened up and tossed the cylinder aside. He watched and waited. A few moments of silence passed…but he stood patiently.

His patience was rewarded.

Very slowly…the train began to creak and groan. At first, one could mistake it for anything. It was old and falling apart, after all. Yet what started as just a few creaks soon picked up. The groaning went from the sound of metal on metal into something louder and deeper…with variation in it. It almost began to sound like an animal noise. Diablos saw this, and his eyes began to light up. As they did, he began to feel a wave of heat. From the long-gutted engine, a warm breeze slowly began to come out. But it wasn't from fire or mako. It felt moist and a bit foul to the smell…like breath.

Beginning to smile, Diablos looked up and around him. He saw the rust spots and tears in the cabin. He looked to them…and saw something unnatural. The very edge of the smallest metal tear…just at the beginning of the crack…seemed to be growing. Little strands of metal seemed to reach out to the opposite side and touch, and once there began to thicken. As it did…a slow groan went out as the tear was actually pulled back together again, very slowly. Some of the rust seemed to suddenly begin to flake off and fall to the ground. Beneath it, the metal began to rise again.

Diablos kept smiling…until he heard a rather loud noise behind him. This wasn't some light creak. It was _loud_. It was a monstrous grinding…twisting… Hearing it, he immediately snapped around, and almost lit up in delight at what he saw.

The cars of the train were _rolling themselves._ They seemed to actually be moving around on their own, like coils of a giant snake or worm. And they were inching themselves back over and around…back onto the track. The first car twisted a bit more and managed to land. Once there, it grew still, but the others continued to twist and pull. Their own rust spots began to flake off. Their metal tears began to repair.

Diablos was well pleased. He turned back to the engine. It was warm and damp in the cabin now, almost as if you were inside something… The metal beneath his feet began to actually seem moist…soft…

"Welcome back to the land of the living, fellow wraith." He spoke softly to it. "You must be the one called the Phantom Train?"

The machine groaned and grunted…as if talking back to him.

"I bet you're still upset about what they did to you…" He continued. "Espers and humans… The esper kind restrained you when you weren't allowed to harvest any further souls…forced you to act as a ferry for the lost ones. And then the humans tore you down, forcing you into oblivion. I had a somewhat…similar role myself."

More grunting.

"I'm certain you would wish to get revenge on them, wouldn't you?"

A pause from the engine.

"I can help you there."

More groaning after a short pause.

"We'll have to be quiet, however. We don't want them knowing what we truly want, do we? After all, we're using espers ourselves…just like they used us. But if you help me…no one will ever stop you from preying on the living again. I will see to that."

A very long pause from the engine after this.

In the end…it seemed to make a short whine.

"First things first…you'll have to get back to your full health once again. And I think a new name is more appropriate, now that you'll be dealing with living entities and not just their spirits. How do you like…Doomtrain?"

Creaking and groaning…seeming enthusiastic.

"Good." Diablos answered with a smile.

A moment later, and a buzzing went out from the side of the demon beast. He immediately looked away from the engine and down to his hip. It might have looked a bit odd on someone like him, or for espers to use, but the human radios were quite convenient for various functions. Hence, he had equipped himself and the others with ones that could sound through the depths of DeepGround to the surface and surrounding area above. Seeing that this one was ringing now, he cracked a wider grin. Immediately, he reached down and snatched his radio off of his hip and placed it against his head. He pushed the button.

"This is Lord Diablos."

A growl followed on the other side of the radio, showing the chagrin the speaker had to that title.

"…_This is Cerberus."_ Another voice answered a moment later…or, rather, three rather large, monstrous, and bloodthirsty-sounding voices responded in unison. After all, Cerberus had regenerated at this point. He was back to his true nature of a violent killer. It was perfect. _"We are in position."_

"Excellent." Diablos answered. "Remember…all of our plans hinge on your success. Do not fail, or I will have no need to punish you myself. The humans will do that for us. And do not let personal vendettas get in between you and this mission. Get the target and return it here. After that…our revenge will truly begin."

_"It better."_ The voices sneered in answer, before the radio shut off.

Diablos kept smiling. Despite Shelke's failure, he had more faith in these. If all else failed, he could still try himself, after all. It would be hard if they messed up, however. Yet he believed Cerberus would not fail…not after what he showed him.

With that in mind, Diablos replaced the radio to his hip. After that, his taloned hand went to his wings and behind them. A moment later, as if extruding them from some pocket, he pulled out a white sheet of paper with a list of sorts on it. He drew this out and brought it in front of him. As the Doomtrain finished adjusting its cars, he looked toward two items that stood out on the list, ones he had highlighted on seeing them.

SPECIMEN #482. THREAT LEVEL: S. DESIGNATION: Cactuar.

SPECIMEN #487. THREAT LEVEL: S. DESIGNATION: Tonberry.

This made Diablos grin, showing his teeth. The perfect candidates for his last two cylinders…

* * *

Aerith reclined a bit more in her seat as she looked out. Despite everything that was going wrong, she did feel more at ease. Now that she was back with her students, things seemed more normal and regular. And this was something that she enjoyed doing. She knew that her students felt the same way right now.

With Aerith back, practice sessions had returned. They were naturally a bit upset that Aerith had decided to hold this session indoors, restricting using any "big" spells. However, the Cetra wasn't in any mood to test the waters right now in the world outside. For the time being, she'd let them stay in. There was more to worry about right now than that at the moment, and these latest things could be an even more pressing concern than even the chance of reducing all magic users to the status of second class citizens.

There was an indoor room that was similar to a gym inside the building. It was much smaller than one, but the flooring and walls were padded, and it was meant for roughhousing in. It was also a bit scored, torn, worn, and otherwise damaged as a result of excessive spell use within it. The children were spread out everywhere inside, each one casting their spells and trying new techniques. The result was a rather loud clamor of noises, like small explosions and flares and other odd sounds, and a constant drone of chanting by the denizens. Yet they were also enthusiastic and happy to be doing this. They hadn't been able to practice in this way since Aerith had returned. It seemed they had been doing mental exercises sharply enough, however. They were succeeding in most of their attempts, and almost no one was asking Aerith for help, allowing her to sit at a distance for now.

_That goes to show what you can accomplish if you're a bit more patient…_ She thought to herself. Normally, the kids would be clamboring over her to get her to show them a technique they were having trouble with. The truth was they'd probably be able to figure them all out on their own if they tried harder, but some of them wanted an "easier" path, obviously. The ability to cast the spell now and not later. She hoped that now they'd be a bit more patient with their own growth in the future.

However, these thoughts were merely distractions from the burning ideas in the back of Aerith's mind. As she looked over them, she thought of her husband, the strange attacks, the essences…and, mostly, the future of their school. She was still trying to decide what to do. First of all, she realized she had to break it to them. Opinions might change toward them soon, and if so they had to realize what was acceptable and what was not as another human being. They also might have to learn how to safeguard themselves if they left… Part of her wanted to put Tifa's question to them…have them decide for themselves if they should stop using magic for a while or keep up with lessons. Yet most of them were still too young to make wise choices… Another thought was to actually bring them out in front of city hall. Let the people see their "monsters". However, she realized, sadly, that such was not the way the world worked. If anything, it would simply make them larger targets. And now people would know what they looked like…

While she was thinking these things, Aerith's thought train was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps behind her. She turned her head, and found herself looking back to the closed doorway to the training room. However, it had large enough cracks in the frame and board thinness to be able to listen out and hear when someone was coming even over the din, especially when they were running up. That's what Aerith immediately inferred from the rapidity of the footsteps. She also picked up that they were rather "light", indicating that it was a child who was making them…

A moment later, and without knocking, fear of interruption, or even a potential stray spell (which had indeed happened once), the door swung open partially. Crain poked his head out from the other side, looking to Aerith. His face was somewhat anxious.

"Aunt Aerith?" He called out to her. "Mom says for you to come into the living room right now."

The woman hesitated a moment, processing what had been said. For a brief moment, her brain processed this as a rather minor request, but that was before she managed to hear the "right now" part, as well as remember what had been going on over the past few days. She also knew that Tifa didn't call her out in the middle of something unless it was very important. With this in mind, her face began to grow somewhat grimmer.

The Cetra turned her head to the classroom, and she immediately rose to full height. "Everyone…" She called in a loud voice, loud enough to garner most if not all attention, even over the din. "We're going to have a five minute recess while I check on something."

Immediately, a collective groan went out. Some of them began to complain that they hadn't been able to practice for days already. Aerith herself hesitated afterward. Marlene was usually here to help supervise, but today she was with Denzel and Azure over at her own house. That meant she might have to leave the kids alone for a prolonged time, and in the perfect spot to make trouble with each other. However, she couldn't help it. Sighing somewhat inwardly, she turned and walked for the door. Crain backed out of it, and she was free to pass through a moment later.

It took about a minute in and of itself to walk back through the hallway along with Crain back to the portion of the Seventh Heaven that was livable. As soon as they reached there, Crain went on ahead through the entryway and toward the living room. Aerith followed close behind, working her way through the doorways and around the corners. As she drew nearer, she began to hear the sounds of the radio. It became clear that some sort of news report was going on. A moment later, and she was turning the corner into the living room.

Tifa was seated and listening to the radio, but she looked rather intent and nervous. Crain himself went to her side immediately and sat down next to it. Aerith stepped in a moment later and turned to it as well. Soon after, she began to make out the report that was coming through.

_"…five, are being dragged away from the scene right now. It seems that police aren't trying to get closer at this point. They're focusing on keeping the area blockaded off. The Special Weapons and Training units have arrived and are keeping us from getting too close at this point, but from what we're able to learn the assailant appears to be some new mutation of the Guard Hounds. However, there are some conflicting reports at this time. One report is citing that the attacker is using some sort of energy weapon. We've already heard several explosions, so there may be some truth to that rumor. At this time…we can confirm at least ten are dead and a dozen injured. Again, for those of you just tuning in, another mysterious attack has happened in Edge for the second time this week, this time taking place in the downtown residential district…"_

A pause happened in the broadcast.

_"Wait a moment…we're picking up shots being fired…I can… I see it! It's charging the barricade! It's ignoring the bullets! And now…something's coming in its mou-"_

The transmission went silent.

_"…We appear to have lost our signal at the site."_ A clearer, more overreaching voice spoke up. _"At this point, we cannot confirm whether or not this was due to the actual developing situation…"_

Aerith didn't listen beyond that. Immediately, she turned to Tifa.

"Have you called Cloud?"

The woman looked back up to her, and immediately seemed regretful. "We haven't made any real money in a few days. I had to keep the bar closed while I watched the kids. He went out for a long distance delivery to Condor. I called him, but he won't be back for two hours. Barret might be there in thirty minutes."

Aerith hesitated for a moment on hearing this. She puzzled over what to do for a moment. Like any person, especially in their circle of friends, she didn't want to hear that people were being killed unless she could do something about it. And right now, she knew that she _could_ do something about it. Although she hated to use them unless necessary, the truth was she could take care of this in moments using the power of the Sorceress. The reporter had been so blaise about commenting that ten people were already dead…perhaps more of the injured dying. But those were ten family members…ten parents or children…ten friends or relatives… Even one death was tragic enough. And who knew how more would die until someone got here?

It still unsettled her. Another attack already. Things were getting more and more violent in this world. Ever since the essences had been found, things were getting worse. She couldn't help but think that whatever was doing this was somehow tied into it. She wished she knew more about what was going on.

She was also uncomfortable about going out there. There had to be dozens of witnesses…each one who could say that some sort of white witch came in and attacked. Her "transformation" allowed some anonymity, but the bottom line is that once again a magic-user would enter the forefront of the news. Then again…perhaps that would be for the best. Maybe people would relent from their prejudices if they saw someone wielding magic to help save lives. And even if they didn't…Aerith realized she couldn't stay back. If there were people to save, then public opinion was irrelevant. She had to do something.

She inhaled at this realization.

_Sorry, kids…_

"Could you go back to the children and tell them we're suspending practice for now? I don't think I want to wait for Cloud or Barret…"

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, "Aunt Aerith" is a term of endearment, not indicative that Cloud knows his true genealogy.


	12. Snaring An Angel

Hey everyone. I'm really feeling good about the next chapter after this one. This one, on the other hand, I kind of had to twist and squeeze out of my brain onto paper. I'm not that satisfied with it, but I hope it goes over well.

* * *

Diablos ran his talons over his long jutted chin, in a way analogous to stroking a long beard, as he continued to survey the temple construction. He had already disembarked from the newly dubbed Doomtrain, and the engine had responded by speeding off. He'd see what he could do about recharging an esper of that size later. He had two more espers to reawaken first…but that might be able to wait until after this latest bit was done.

He had just given the order to Cerberus and Pandemona. So long as things went without a hitch, unlike how it had gone with his servant, the greatest obstacle to fulfilling his plan would be removed by the end of today. Even if the temple wasn't ready yet, which it looked like it wouldn't be at this point, he'd still be able to proceed. Of course, the more integral portions of this temple would have to be crafted by him. The servant's hands were too crude and inadequate. With that in mind, he realized he had plenty of work to do himself…

That was when he sensed a change.

For a brief moment…he felt the pleasant sight of one of the gargoyle's having the middle of their heads blown out by what appeared to be three gunshots, and then felt the rush of its death fill him like some sort of shot of caffeine. It was bathed in blood red and almost an after-image to his eyes, but it happened none the less. And as soon as it faded…it pulled back through space before him, seeming to paint an invisible line along it toward the source it originated within. As he watched, he saw the line go away and down the train tunnel, back toward the main base of DeepGround. It continued to trace until it was no more than five hundred feet from the temple location. He saw and heard nothing…but that was irrelevant. His senses told him that something down that way had just been killed.

And he hadn't been the one who allowed it.

Twisting his expression to one of irritation, he raised a single hand and snapped his fingers.

In response, a black cloud which looked like it was a whirl of ebony sand particles flashed in front of him. It died down a moment later, revealing a horrible, sleek, abnormally thin, lion/wolf monster. Its tail appeared to have some sort of energy around it, for it gleamed like a hot poker as it flicked. Its eyes were wide, yellow, and pupilless. Drool dripped from its jaws as it showed its teeth. However, it obediently stood before its master.

"…Find the intruder and devour." Diablos stated. Naturally, the comment wasn't just for the Guard Hound alone. It was meant to be relayed to the entire pack.

The monster itself gave out a snarl of some kind, and then vanished in another puff of black material.

* * *

Ragnar did something rare a moment later. He swore.

"Damnit!" He cursed as he hung his phone up. What was the use of having these things when no one was ever around to answer them? They were supposed to be for emergencies, and this was a full class emergency. It seemed almost ironic that Ragnar's secret fantasy had now been perverted into a new nightmare.

"I don't suppose you know anything about this Diablos guy, do you, Mr. Vice?" Shalua spoke up from where she was seated.

"Yeah. He was a pretty big demon of the esper world. Some sort of force of chaos and death. And now that he's taken physical form, and he doesn't like humanity, we may all be in trouble." He answered. After saying this, he turned back to Shelke. The girl still hadn't shifted much and was rather stoic. "You also said Siren was out?"

The girl nodded. "That was the one that possessed Rosso."

Ragnar let out a groan and bowed his head. His hand reached up and grasped it in frustration. "…I don't know much about what Diablos can do to this world, but I know Siren can control anyone who hears her voice. Even the other espers stayed away from her."

"They could attack at any time then." Shalua spoke up in response, her own face growing anxious. "And if no one knew what to expect, they'd never see it coming before it was too late. No one in Midgar is trained to deal with large magical threats. No one has dealt with them in hundreds of years."

_Well…there is _one_ person…_ Ragnar thought to himself. _And I think Aerith could more than handle any espers that came her way. But I have no idea how resistant she'll be to some of their special powers. If that Diablos knew so much already, then what's to say he didn't know about Aerith? That he's not ready for her? There's more than one way to win a fight…_

As Ragnar thought this, however, everyone in the room was distracted by the noise of the door opening to this portion of Shalua's lab. Shelke snapped around and glared out, although she had no weapons. However, Ragnar and Shalua both raised theirs and turned to the door itself, ready to assault the first thing that came through.

Instead…they saw Rex framed in the doorway. As soon as he saw them aim their weapons at him, he immediately threw his arms in the air, releasing his samples and analyses and letting them fall to the ground.

A moment later, and two of the three sighed and relaxed, lowering their weapons.

"Did I interrupt something?" Rex asked meekly, still having his arms in the air.

Ragnar waved off that question as he turned his sword around and began to insert it back into his sheath. He wanted it at his side now. "What are you doing here, Rex?"

"I tried to give you the samples back at the facility, but the room was a mess. I thought something had gone wrong when I couldn't find you." The student answered, putting his arms down again. "I decided to check out over here just in case you had run this way…and I guess I assumed right." He paused a moment, and looked over the three of them, especially the new one. This made him look even more confused.

"Uh…is there some sort of swim party going on?"

Shelke didn't react.

Ragnar, however, only hesitated a bit longer before he did, beginning to step over to Rex. "Come on. We need the car."

Rex looked confused. "The car?"

Shalua herself echoed it. "What for?"

Ragnar turned back to her in response. "They sent Shelke over here to get the samples. They already have some and they know we evoked Quetzacoatl. They aren't going to risk us evoking more. They'll destroy any chance we have at reviving more espers if they can't ensure they're on their side."

Rex only looked more puzzled. "Um…espers? Reviving? Am I totally out of the loop on something?"

Ragnar turned back to him. He hesitated a moment, but then groaned inwardly. It seemed there was nothing for it. By now, the events of destruction surrounding their lives had to be getting pretty peculiar to try and rule it out as coincidence or something it wasn't. In the end, he grudgingly decided to spill it to him.

"I'll tell you about it on the way." Ragnar answered, beginning to move forward again and gesture him toward the door. Confused but obedient, Rex turned and reluctantly followed. At the same time, Ragnar turned his head back to the other two. "Shalua…call up Highwind Airways' branch in Edge. Ask for Mack and tell them that Ragnar Vice needs a favor. Then tell him we need to get a transport back to Edge ASAP."

* * *

Unlike bar ownership/delivery, the oil business was rather lucrative. Barret himself took little money personally. Although he probably could have commanded a salary on par with some of the biggest businessmen in the world, he settled for a middle-class existence for himself and his adoptive daughter. As a result, the interior of his house wasn't much different from a typical home. Barret had little taste for décor, and had allowed Marlene to pick out a nice arrangement of curtains, paint, flooring, and furniture. It was really for relaxation purposes. Aesthetics truly. Barret himself either was at work, in his "office", a room set aside in the house with files, a desk, and a personal computer (now that he was more of a businessman), or in the basement, where his personal "gym" was set up.

The living room seemed kind of big for a two-person family, but that was because Barret had set it up to receive lots of visitors. And today demonstrated a good reason to have such a large living area.

While Marlene was seated on the sofa, both Denzel and Azure were sprawled out and staring at the TV screen. Not long ago, they had come over for a chance to practice without arousing the ire of their mother. Yet Barret was already in the basement working out himself on arrival, and so they had little alternative but to practice a bit outside instead. They had broken a good sweat and gotten themselves rather tired, and so they had stopped in to see if they could mooch sodas from Marlene.

That was when this came on the news.

Now Barret had left, leaving the three of them behind to see the situation develop.

Right now, they were fixated on a view over the city showing a few streets and buildings. It was obviously from a helicopter, based on its position. In particular, they were staring at an object centered in the lens. Some sort of giant, gray, fearsome beast was positioned on one of the three story buildings. Around it was smoke and flame, all of its making. It looked almost like one of the Guard Hounds, only it was far larger. About as big as a Dual Horn. It was built more solidly too…and it had three, monstrous heads with glowing eyes as well. Each one pitched around and gazed at the world below. Its teeth flashed, and every so often it snapped its head to one side and opened its mouth. A beam of light erupted from it in response, and another small explosion would go off.

A voice from the unseen newscaster continued to report.

_"At this point, this is as close as we can risk getting to this creature. The police are widening the roadblock after its recent surge forward. Current police measures have failed to restrain it, and even the heavier police officers have been unable to do anything. Numerous deaths and injuries are continuing to mount, but for now the creature appears to be holding its ground…"_

Marlene anxiously clenched her hands into fists as she watched. "I hope dad gets there soon…"

"I wish my dad was here… He'd beat that thing in no time." Denzel threw in.

"Mrs. Aerith is here. She could stop it." Azure threw in. "I'll bet she's heading out there right now with Tifa."

That theory had some weight. Marlene had just tried to call home, and had gotten no answer. It could have been because Tifa was rushing out right now and had forgotten her phone, or because she had to go supervise the children while Aerith had left, or even because both of them had left (although that seemed unlikely, due to having to abandon the others; Marlene wasn't there to watch them).

"But what is that thing?" Marlene asked. "If it's a mutant, shouldn't it have been stopped at the perimeter between Edge and Midgar?" A pause, and then a more uneasy continuation. "…You don't think it's one of those espers…do you?"

The two boys hesitated on hearing that, looking away from the TV and turning back to each other. Denzel himself had been just about to suggest those attackers from yesterday…but he now realized it could be something worse. They knew a bit about what was in that case now. And they knew from Ragnar's stories that not all espers were "nice". This thing didn't look like any of the attackers from yesterday, or even like any regular monster they had ever seen before. What if it was?

"…I'm sure it still won't be any problem." Azure answered after a moment. "Aerith destroyed Jenova. She can beat anything."

* * *

_There she is! Look, up in the sky! It's an airship! It's a Zuu! It's the amazing Sorceress!_

Aerith thought this with some anxiety as she flew to the area. Normally, that thought would have been joking to her, but it wouldn't change the fact that it brought to mind that she was far above normal people, and demonstrating it through this gesture. She was doing _this_, after all. Something that even the greatest wizards in the past were never able to do. Only the espers had managed the technique they referred to as "autoaero", better known to others as flying under one's own power. Humans, until now, had only managed to make themselves hover about two feet above the ground, which was only really useful to avoid walking over dangerous substances or into earth attacks.

This was a bit more than that.

At a speed nearly equivalent to a full throttle airship, Aerith's body rocketed over the world below. She almost wondered if her wings were propelling her in any way, although they seemed perfectly rigid, much like her "original" crest was. It had taken her some practice, but she was able to keep herself from "completely" changing when she activated her inner power. She didn't dress in white or grow her hair out anymore… But the wings were permanent. They came out no matter what, in addition to the radiant aura she was now shining. Even in her regular clothes, which seemed drab and almost "dirty" compared to how her skin and form had changed, in the middle of the day, she shone out like some beacon. Chances were people might think she was some sort of fantastic being rather than a person…but perhaps that was for the best.

The city rocketed beneath Aerith. She didn't do this often, and so it was a bit strange trying to find where she was going by looking down from overhead. However, she had a pretty good notion that she was headed in the right direction. The smoke up ahead telegraphed it. There was a lot more than she cared to see…and the sounds of sirens were getting louder as she drew nearer. She also caught a few emergency vehicles below headed for that area, and as she got closer she began to see at least three helicopters surrounding it. She realized that must be the place. Inhaling and exhaling, she continued to close on it…

* * *

One might think having three heads would mean you have three independent consciousnesses controlling a single body. If such was the case, Cerberus didn't think anything of it. After all, he had been this way his entire life. If anything, picturing a person with just one head and mind was the hard part. As for him, although each head was capable of being independent, they all worked together to obtain the desired result at all times. And each one was capable of acting just as freely as a hand or a foot was from its mate. Yet they still kept the same mind…

And each one was growing impatient.

Cerberus dug his long claws into the roof of the building, scratching long lines of stone and concrete into them. His anger was aroused. Not at the fact that he was forced to do the bidding of Diablos, but because he was unable to act freely now. He had killed quite a few of those humans already…a first installment on the revenge he would wage on their kind. But so long as there were more in the area, he desired to slaughter them all. Yet Diablos had forced him to hold back and wait…wait for the true target to get there. Until then, he was only allowed to shoot forward every few minutes and wage a small bit of destruction.

Angrily, the beast snapped his head to the side and let out another blast of concentrated plasma from his mouth, taking off the corner of a nearby building. He hated these stupid structures the humans had built. Tall, ugly, bland… Nothing fearsome about them at all. And the sun was beating down far too much for his tastes. He hated bright light. He preferred the darkness and clouds. Or better yet…smoke from destruction. And currently, there was far too little of that. Yet in addition to Diablos' orders…he had to be careful of where he shot… After all, there was someone out here he didn't want to hit.

It had been easy to burst from the ground in a crowd of people. Once there, he had started things off by venting his rage about death by tearing a few limb from limb. The others scattered in fear. He chased down the nearest ones and did the same. After that, he began blasting away the stragglers. He ran through the strange roads and buildings afterward, causing death to every human he was able to find or smell out. Then the human authorities came. They had strange metal tubes with lots of other machinery attached to them, and they fired some sort of strange weapons at him. They must have been slings of some sort, for he was hit with pointed metal stones. They hurt, and left him with several bruises on his black skin…but to the hide of Cerberus, all they truly did was make him mad. He turned them into blood and entrails as well before lashing out with his renewed anger and power. After that, he didn't give them a chance to attack again. He used his incredible speed to go around and obliterate them in instants.

The esper turned his head out to the nearest mass of people. They were a good 300 yards away, but that would matter little to his speed and range. It was getting close to time to be able to go out and massacre another group of humans…offer a bit more incentive for the target to get there. That was fine by him. He was getting bored of waiting…

Just as he started to tighten his muscles, however…something in his upper vision registered. Not only that, but the people he was eying seemed to shift and turn, their attention going away from trying to keep him restrained and up to the sky. A moment later, and he followed them.

For the second time since his return to life, Cerberus felt overwhelmed.

A being glowing like some holy torch was headed straight toward him. A white aura enveloped it, and four large, angelic wings were stretched out and accenting its presence. Based on just this appearance alone, this unworldly, supernatural air that it carried about itself, Cerberus almost thought it was some new sort of esper, forgetting where he was and what time period. After all, many espers took humanoid forms, and they were always radiant and spectacular, even for his rough attitude and brash personality. Yet this alone wasn't what shocked him…

The_ power_ did.

All espers could sense the auras of other beings. It was an innate quality, although many others sharpened their ability. Cerberus had not, but even a person who was nearsighted could see a dragon headed straight for them at a hundred feet. The esper was nearly paralyzed. Never before had he sensed such inconceivable amounts of power coming from one entity before. Even the Demon, who had been worshipped as a god along with the rest of the Warring Triad, was pathetic compared to this level of might. The power source was so strong that Cerberus could almost hear the voices of the Planet running through her, as if she was an extension of the Lifestream herself.

For a moment, Cerberus nearly panicked. He thought that Diablos character must be mad. There was no way this could work against _that_. How could anything work against power this strong? Of course, _he_ wouldn't be the one with the hard job. Yet if this being saw something was wrong and realized that he was only here to draw her attention…then what? He'd be as good as dead himself… This might have very well been a suicide mission. Did their new leader even know what he was getting them into?

_Damn you, Diablos…if something goes wrong, somehow…I'll get my revenge on you. I swear it…_

As best as he could, Cerberus struggled to keep his teeth barred and his ears from slicking back, although other than that all he could do was gape at the oncoming figure. He couldn't even summon enough power to try an attack against her…as if it would do any good. As a result, he only stood there as she neared.

When she reached the point where she was at a junction of the strange, rock streets that the humans had made, she came to a halt. Her wings might have not been real, but they seemed to shift and adjust in order to make her stall and halt in midair. Once that was done, her body was made clear for the esper to see. She was indeed some sort of supernatural being. She might have looked human, but she was no more that than esper. She had to be something far greater and more terrible. And now that she had stopped, her eyes, blazing with green energy like raw Lifestream, looked down and focused on him.

He felt one of his legs struggling to lift…and it took all of his will power to force it down.

The being seemed to make all other light around her dim. Everything else was silent before her. Even the screaming and panicking humans down the road had gone silent. Those strange metal shapes they used to hover around the area seemed to slow. Not just him, but everyone was in awe of this creature. What sort of thing was she that could do this? The humans weren't intimidated enough by him to stop trying to attack him, but she was able to make them halt?

Soon…the woman was eye level with him. Only where his ferocious body was standing on a roof, she was hovering over space and glaring right at him. Her look was stern…disciplining almost. Normally, Cerberus would be angry at this…at being condescended to by anyone. Yet now…he couldn't help but stare at it…and feel small under its gaze. He was larger and more ferocious-looking than this flying woman could ever be…and yet he felt like a mere insect compared to her.

"I'll tell you once and only once." A voice came out from the woman. It was fair and lovely…even to someone like Cerberus…but at the same time laced with such terrific power that the ground seemed to quake when she spoke. Glorious, beautiful, and dangerous…just like the perfect beings of Heaven above. It made him feel small and meager in response. "Cease this attack right now. I don't want to have to hurt you. I know what you are. You're one of the espers brought back to life."

Now Cerberus was really overwhelmed…and growing more suspicious of Diablos. She knew? Hadn't Diablos told them that they wouldn't know? That they wouldn't be suspecting this? He cursed to himself. _And I believed him? Damnit! He fixed us real well, didn't he? Now what?_

Cerberus was silent. He didn't know what to do. He didn't trust that surrendering would be an option. Not to something that could annihilate him with one wave of its hand. Not after all he had done. Whether this was human or not, it cared enough about them, obviously, to want to stop him. What he really wanted right now was for the "trap" to spring. Yet it didn't. That filled him with more fear. What was he waiting for? Was he as frozen in fear as he was? Had he bailed out on him, leaving him to this monster? And if so…now what? She was standing there, waiting for an answer…and he could barely speak.

Time ticked by, and still nothing. The woman didn't look like she was growing impatient, but he dared not put that to the test. He realized that if nothing happened…he had to try and do something to either fight or flee. At this point, fleeing looked like a better option. And if that was the case, then he was in good shape. Cerberus might have been outclassed in power, but part of his innate ability was to make himself one of the fastest espers ever. He might still be able to outdo this opponent in speed.

With that in mind, he managed to get some of his bearings back. He stared on at the woman a bit longer, who continued to calmly look back. Meanwhile, mentally, he began to creep over his abilities and remember the spells to enhance his speed. While one head kept looking at the woman, another one bowed…concealing its mouth…and whispered.

Seconds later…and a red aura suddenly burst from the ground and surrounded the fearsome beast. The woman was actually taken aback by this result, as she saw a circle of energy with strange flames on it, almost like a giant clock face, appear and seem to increase in speed. As it did, the world around Cerberus seemed to slow in relation to him. His heart beat faster. His lungs breathed faster. The smallest gestures took the blink of an eye rather than become noticeable in any way. With his speed thus increased, he quickly began to push his own innate power more into his muscles, increasing his speed even more than before…and then moved.

To those humans watching…it was simply as if Cerberus had disappeared into thin air and reappeared three buildings away in the same span of an instant. There was only the slightest hint of a blur. Such was the esper's incredible speed.

Cerberus himself grinned out of all three mouths on landing, feeling like he had truly made it. He had seen the look of surprise on the woman's mouth. She hadn't been expecting that speed in the least. He _did_ have her beaten in one category. Of course, now wasn't a time to stop. He had to keep going. Now that he had left her behind, he had to get a move on to lose her completely. He turned to another building and began to crouch to leap to that one next…

And froze, his black skin nearly turning white.

She was hovering right over the alley between his current building and the next, arms crossed.

"…That won't work." She simply stated.

Cerberus was overwhelmed. How could she have moved that fast? Not even the greatest espers could keep up with his speed! Of course, that was moot now. Now he saw he was doomed. He was frozen all over again, and his idea of possibly getting out of this seemed hopeless.

"Who sent you?" The woman asked.

Cerberus stared back for a moment, unable to answer. However, the fear was too much for him. He didn't know what had happened to his ally, but at this point, he didn't really care. He was worried more about his own hide.

"…D…Diablos…" His three heads managed to finally spit out, his monstrous voice no longer seeming so terrible.

The woman didn't seem to recognize that name, but she didn't dwell long on it.

"…Take me to him." She stated. Her voice was soft enough, but there was no mistaking that it was an order.

Now Cerberus didn't know what to do. He couldn't do as she said. It would mean death to them all, and especially him at Diablos' hand. He saw how he broke the human… Yet what would she do to him if he _didn't_ obey…? He was frozen, unable to move or think…

Then…it finally happened.

Abruptly, from the roof of the building behind the woman…a tremendous cyclone of air burst forth. The sheer power of it immediately punched a hole through the ceiling and blasted out huge pieces of stone and debris over the area. It was like some sort of wreckage geyser erupting. Both Cerberus and the woman, both equally shocked, looked up and behind to the source in surprise. A massive roaring greeted their ears, almost deafening them as debris flew down around them. Most of it was small and merely stung as it smacked against them, but combined with the colossal roaring it was enough to make both shrink back in shock. It was like a tornado had suddenly erupted from within in the building.

Yet Cerberus had three different sets of eyes, and as such, even shielding himself, he was able to look up and out enough to see something in the midst of the air column.

The thing that emerged was almost impossible to describe. Somehow…it looked vaguely humanoid, but was highly "assymetrical". Most of it was a shocking purple color, although it seemed to fade in and out of various bright, neon hues. It was muscular, and its white leg flesh seemed to hang loose from the bone, giving an impression of pants. Its feet and hands were more like stockings or mittens, but they were tipped with red talons. Some sort of long, fleshy, deflated sacs appeared to be wrapped around his waist, with one in particular hanging over his shoulder and his back.

Its face looked to be made of three large, pupiless, expressionless, yellow orb eyes. They bulged slightly to give some definition to what had to be a head, for the thing seemed to lack a neck. The head simply appeared to lift out from the torso. A length that almost looked like some form of feathered chicken crest strung out behind his head like hair tied back, and it glowed a pale blue that stood out from the purple. Last but not least…three massive holes that almost looked like openings of tubes were mounted on one shoulder, sagging down onto his upper torso. They seemed to feed into the main sac over that same shoulder.

Cerberus had time to process this…but the woman could barely even realize what she was looking at when the purple thing spread out its legs, planted itself on the roof, and then flapped out its sac behind it. Moments later…and it began to inflate.

Within a few moments, Cerberus was digging his claws into the ground as a tremendous force suddenly yanked at his body and drew itself forward, toward the purple creature. Even as he did, he had to cringe, grit his teeth, and bear down. What felt like a hurricane suddenly bore down on him, only all blowing in one direction. Yet it wasn't blowing…it was suction. As the thing in front of it expanded its air sac, it began to inhale with force thought inconceivable to mankind and most esper kind. The three-headed beast wasn't even the target, but soon he was struggling to press himself against the ground and slick his ears against his head as he felt a force nearly able to rip his body apart yank at him. He felt his fur nearly being pulled off of his body. The pressure on his eyes and ears was agonizing. He felt as if the air was being sucked from his lungs, which it likely was. The small bits of debris he had knocked out, as well as what the purple creature knocked out, were immediately drawn in and sucked into the expanding sac. Yet soon after…bits of the roof began to fracture and give way, being brought into that oblivion as well.

However, this was only what Cerberus felt. And, as he already had noted, he wasn't the target.

The woman, on the other hand, was completely overwhelmed. Cerberus didn't see her, but she vainly struggled to bring her arms around her and break away. But it was too late. It was already as if a major category cyclone had enveloped her. The force was too much for any "standard" spell to possibly break loose. Her hair was yanked in front of her face and her wings were brought in front of her body, nearly ripped from her torso. She still tried to struggle for a moment…but what was happening to Cerberus happened much faster with her. Within a few instants, she was in a vacuum. Pressure was crushing in around her while her air was gone. The combination of a sudden crushing force from inside her trying to expand to fill this void as well as the sensation of being asphyxiated, all happening in moments while incredible forces were yanking her into a gigantic vortex, was too much for her senses. She held as long as she could…before her eyes seemed to go blank, and she swooned.

Whether she had passed out or given up wasn't clear. It happened too fast. All that was seen was that the woman suddenly pitched forward, and like a bolt was sucked in along with the rest of the debris. The tubes didn't look large enough to fit her…and yet as soon as she reached them head first she slid in. An instant later, and she had vanished into the vortex and into the sac.

An instant later, and the air cut off. The purple creature straightened somewhat, letting the sac, now inflated like a balloon, bob slightly behind him. The lingering wind blew away and drifted off into nothingness. The few bits of debris that had been yanked fell down, and Cerberus' body leaned back as the force cut off.

Slowly, the esper opened his eyes fully. His body straightened back up again, and he normalized. He looked in front of him, seeing the purple creature with the now "full" sac, and saw how the roof around him was stretched, leaning toward where he was, with the fringes yanked off entirely. It seemed to form a funnel imprint too, leading on toward him. As he relaxed, once again coming to his regular posture, he looked back out at the other creature plainly.

Then, abruptly, his eyes narrowed as he snarled.

"It's about time you decided to move, you idiot!" All three heads roared at him. "She could have killed me!"

The purple creature answered back by simply drawing himself up straight and wrapping his arms around himself, as if forming a "pin" shape. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic." He answered. Unlike before, when his voice had been high and airy, Pandemona's voice had suddenly turned deep and low, fitting for a bass. Even Cerberus had a good idea why that was possible. "I got her, didn't I?"

Cerberus sneered. "You got her…yeah right. With that kind of power, she's going to rip a nice hole through that pretty lung of yours in a few seconds."

Pandemona snorted. "She might be strong, but just like any of us, she can't do anything without air and the right pressure. And I'm making sure she only gets enough to stay alive, not to become conscious."

Cerberus looked confused at this. "Conscious? What the hell…? Kill her now! We might not get another chance!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Pandemona answered. "Lord Diablos was very clear that I bring her back alive to him. He had something else in mind for her, though don't ask me what."

Cerberus snarled in response. He'd rather rip her throat out and have it over with. What? Was he going to try and make another esper out of her? Somehow, Cerberus doubted that would work. This spirit was too strong to let itself be "evicted". And if he had anything else in mind, he was sure it would fail if it meant keeping her alive. This woman needed to be gotten rid of. If he kept her around and alive, no matter what he thought he could do to restrain her…she'd come back to haunt him. He knew it…

However…that wasn't his problem. That was his new "leader's". Let him deal with it.

"Fine then." Cerberus finally growled. "Let's get out of here in case there's more humans like this one running around…"

* * *

_"…For those of you watching at home, I regret to say that you probably know as much as we do about what has just transpired in this disaster area. From what it appears, a mysterious individual who…as unbelievable as it sounds…was winged…appeared and confronted the mutant. However, the individual was not there long before another mutation appeared and seemed to…swallow the winged individual along with part of an adjacent building. After this incident, both of the strange mutations vanished. …We've just received word that the police are beginning to establish order, but that they know little more about the incident than we do at this point… They are advising that all remain clear of the area until they can confirm it is secure…"_

Denzel, Marlene, and Azure had stopped listening at this point, however. Their eyes were still wide and aghast as they gaped at what they had just witnessed. It was impossible… They couldn't believe that what they had seen wasn't some sort of nightmare or hallucination…some scene from a fake movie or something… But they had seen it just the same…saw what that purple thing had done to Mrs. Aerith. The image was still seared into their brains as they saw the now empty streets below…

Marlene brought a fist to her mouth and bit down on it at last as tears started to well up in her eyes, both of fear and sadness. Azure himself nearly had his own eyes mist up. So it was Denzel who finally managed to swallow and break the silence.

"…We…we've got to call mom and dad…"

* * *

_…_

_…_

_…I _really_ felt that…_

_What the hell is going on up there?_

_I haven't sensed anything like this in quite some time. _

_You have an idea, Leviathan?_

_Not really. All I know is that something must have seriously disturbed the integrity of the Lifestream just now. Something monumental if even spirits like us can feel it…_

_It's getting worse…_

_I have no idea what it would mean for something like him to come to life, but whatever it is, it's not good. He doesn't just feed off of death, Bahamut. He absorbs the essences of the dead. There's a chance he might be able to disrupt the Lifestream in rather hazardous ways…but even if he doesn't…_

_Then I need to go back and see what he's doing. _

_No. I won't let you this time._

_I'm with her, Bahamut. What you did was "against the rules" in the first place. And you don't look much better._

Someone_ has to go._

_…Sigh…fine. _

_Leviathan? You can't…_

_If Bahamut is going to be insistent about this, he'll go even in this current state. I can't risk him doing that. While I'd much rather let the living world handle this…it is starting to get to me too._

_Hmph…I wish they'd just bring me back to life already. Then I'd handle this in a snap._

_Leviathan, don't risk it._

_I'm not going to stay nearly as long as Bahamut, if I can help it. And I'm definitely not going to be stupid enough to try and interact with the mortal world. I should be fine._

_Don't hurry back._

_…I'll miss you as well, Wyvern.

* * *

_

_Only half complete…I won't be able to fully utilize the power…_

_…Oh well…so be it._

Diablos' latest thought was in regard to the growing temple. Unfortunately, even though his new workers were efficient and fast, they had only managed to barely get the vaguest outline of it prepared. There were simply limits to how well that work could be done when you only had so much manpower. The inner vestibule, which he had hoped to be done at this point, was still in various stages of construction. The main foundation and walls were nearly done, but there were still too many other intricities.

But very well. If that was the way it had to go, then that was how it would be. This was as far as they could get at their current stage. They needed to expand. One hundred or two hundred slaves would no longer be sufficient. They needed thousands…tens of thousands…

And before the sun set today…they would have them. There was only one thing left to do first.

Diablos stood in the threshold of his new temple. The arch overhead was done, though the roof and its supports were still well underway. But he did enjoy standing on the black stone and letting his talons grip the terra firma of the steps. It also allowed him to stand higher than his subordinates, who were bringing him his prize of the day…the only real thing he had considered an obstacle until now.

In front of him was a flat area of stone ground, and beyond it the train tracks that he had stood on earlier. This stone was simply hewn out of the ground and was unremarkable. Just a foundation area for the most part. The lights had been adjusted in here to be pale and dim, fitting the atmosphere he intended for this place of death. Before him stood his greatest assets: the current espers. Naturally, Pandemona was in the front, his air sac still maximally inflated. Cerberus was nearby, but he looked on edge…as usual. He had brought Siren in to watch too. After all, the moment this was done, it was time. Then there were their newest recruits, the twin brothers: Sacred and Minotaur. He had a job for them soon too…

As he stood there…a roar began to build. The sound that it made seemed to be the periodic rhythm of wheels and gears on a train track, indicating that one was coming. However…something was different. It didn't sound like a machine so much as…breathing. Growling, even… Although one might argue it was a machine, as it got closer and closer…the sounds seemed more distinct and disjointed…as if they were actually coming from a beast rather than a machine…

A second later, and a train shot by. However, it was only a blur to anyone looking. It was traveling far faster than it had ever done when it had been "just a train". By now, it's speed was nearly 400 miles per hour…and growing faster all the time. It had changed considerably at this point too…but was going too fast for any person with normal eyesight to pick it out just from seeing it shoot by. All you could really tell was that it was getting darker in color…and that something at the front was gleaming green…

It was soon gone, at any rate. But Diablos smiled none the less. Regeneration of this one was slow, but it was still moving along. And soon, he'd have two more allies as well. Ones inferior enough in intelligence to control.

However…first things first.

Seeing Pandemona, Diablos motioned in front of him, on the steps. "Release her."

Cerberus tightened up at that. Pandemona himself seemed a bit uneasy, even though he knew he was supposed to bring her back.

"This one's trouble even for you, Diablos." Cerberus threw out. "You need to kill her now, while you can."

"I have something like that in mind." Diablos answered. He reached out a hand, swirled a talon around in a circle, and pointed down to the steps again. "Release her now."

Even Pandemona stayed a bit skeptical. "Outside of my air sac, she'll come to pretty quickly…"

"Then I'll entrance her." Siren simply answered. "Just get on with it."

"I doubt your skill will work on this one, Siren." Diablos replied. "But again…no matter. I'm starting to dislike repeating myself, Pandemona. Put her out or I'll be forced to rip her out of that sac myself."

Hearing this, the stationary yellow orbs of the wind espers appeared to actually shrink slightly. He stepped back a bit after that. However, after hearing this, and seeing that Diablos' gaze had shifted to him and turned ice cold, he realized he was dead serious. That was enough for him. He realized he had to do it. And so, after hesitating only a moment more, he stepped forward.

Normally, Pandemona would blast his prey out full strength, allowing the vortex of his tornado to grind them in with the debris he had inhaled and leave them a battered, bloody mess. Yet doing so would also blast Diablos at this distance… That meant he had to just let out a little air. And so, he stepped forward a bit more until he was right at the steps. There he halted, and uneasily looked up to him and down again. Seeing that Diablos still hadn't changed, he let out a small exhale, and then bent to the steps and positioned the entrance to his air sac over it. After that…he began to let out his air.

It was fairly powerful. The dust from construction was immediately blown away, as well as a few pebbles. However, that was all. It wasn't lethal or harmful. He continued to blow out for a moment, without much change in the size of his air sac. But eventually, there was an alteration. The stream of air abruptly cut off and seemed plugged, as if something had stopped it up. Yet Pandemona kept pushing after this had happened.

A moment later…he finally got a result. With the sound of something that nearly appeared to be vomit…the thing heaved and collapsed part of its air sac. When it did that…she came out.

She was limp at first. There was no signs of wetness or slime…like one might think. After all, these were lungs, not the stomach. Her body slid out easily and came to a rest on the steps. Pandemona had to step back as she kept coming until she was fully outside of his body. Her wings had vanished, and she didn't look nearly as radiant as she had before. Her clothes were normal, and so was her skin and hair. She gave off no light anymore. Cerberus seemed to notice this as well as Pandemona, and as they fell back they appeared somewhat puzzled. Her aura had diminished considerably as well. It was enough to make them think she might have died after all. Yet looking a bit longer, they saw that such wasn't the case. She was still breathing. Slow and regular, but other than that…there was nothing.

The espers stood silent. Cerberus and Pandemona stayed drawn back, but the others merely glared at her in grim indifference…or anger. Diablos himself patiently waited for a few moments. After that…the woman let out a mild sound. She began to stir. Her head slowly turned as her brow furrowed. She was starting to wake up. Slowly, her hands began to lower and press under her.

Seeing this, Diablos let out a small smile. Quite calmly…his wings suddenly seeming to billow behind him like some sort of cape, he began to bend his knees. He slowly brought himself down next to the woman. As he did…his dark shadow seemed to deepen and stretch over her, blotting out whatever light she was giving off in her simpler form. There he paused, letting her recover a bit more.

Her head began to lift off a moment later. It turned again, letting her hair tumble off and touch the steps. Her hands tightened, and her upper chest continued to rise. Soon her head was above ground. She let out another slight moan, but then her eyes began to flutter open.

Cerberus tensed. Pandemona seemed to swallow.

The woman's eyes looked out vainly for a moment, obviously not really seeing or looking. Diablos, at this point, acted. He reached out a hand and put it under her shoulder. Then, seeming to use a combination of his own physical power as well as some sort of magical means, Diablos rose off the ground and brought her with him. At that angle, it should have been rough and jagged, and with her strength apparently still coming back, it should have taken longer. Yet soon, he was fully standing…and he had brought her up in front of him as well. Her feet and legs were weak, but by the time she was fully up, she had managed to shift them underneath her and put force in them. She held and stood.

Until now, she still seemed in a daze. She likely wasn't aware of what was happening. But now, her eyes truly began to show recognition. They blinked once, and then looked up to what was before her. By now, the shadow had engulfed her, and Diablos looked rather powerful and cruel compared to her. Her eyes reached his chest, and then moved up over his body, up to his face.

"…You…" She began to say, still dazzled, barely beginning to recognize that she was looking at some sort of monster.

That was when Diablos smiled especially wide…before raising one of his taloned hands, pointing it at her chest, and uttering some sort of deplorable, guttural word made with vocal cords unknown to man. In an instant…some sort of deadly, black sphere appeared to materialize on the end of his finger. It crackled out with dark bolts of energy…and even looking at it was enough to make one feel cold, lonely, and afraid. It had barely managed to form before it shot out forward and imbedded into the woman's chest. It sank straight in through her tender flesh as if it wasn't there and touched her heart.

Now…the woman truly snapped awake. Suddenly, she went rigid and snapped back. Her head turned up as her fair green eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to let out a scream. However…she only managed the barest hint of an exhale. Then she froze.

As the other espers watched…the woman's aura, small as it was before, now vanished. Cerberus felt her heat immediately disappear as she went cold. The vitality and life that had been in her eyes before faded and vanished. Her skin instantly turned pale and hard. Even Siren reacted somewhat as he heard her heart cease and her breathing stop.

The woman stayed immobile for a fraction of a second, frozen in that last moment of horror…before she went limp. She would have fallen to the ground and landed hard on the steps, had not Diablos immediately extended his one hand more and braced her. Instead, her body fell lifeless around his arm. Her limbs fell to her sides and went totally motionless. No awareness was in her appearance. The blood ceased to move in her veins, and her mind became dead and black.

By all appearances…Diablos had just killed her.

The espers were stunned. Diablos alone kept smiling down over the body of the woman he had seemed to just turn into a corpse. Yet they felt unease inside them…even rough ones like Cerberus and Sacred. They had seen death before…and all of them were more than ready and willing to kill humans. But…something had not been right about that. Something had been different from this death…something very unnatural. Of them all, only Siren had enough power, knowledge, and skill to be able to sense it. And even this woman, born of the wickedness within an esper's heart, felt herself unnerved and even afraid about it. The woman's spirit hadn't been released to the Lifestream. It was almost as if…Diablos had _destroyed_ it… And such a thing was an abomination to even dream of…

But it wasn't just that. Weak as the aura had been…the espers had sensed something kindred in it. Something…familiar. Pleasant. Devoted to death as they might have been, all espers loved their "mother". They enjoyed the feeling of being in contact with the Lifestream. Something about this death had not been right. Somehow…they felt as if by doing this, they had suddenly killed a part of the Lifestream themselves. They felt as if somehow they had committed a great crime…

A few moments later, however, and Cerberus was the one to break the silence. He gave a growl. "That's it?" His three heads sounded. "We just brought her here so that you could kill her?" However, rough as he tried to sound…it came out a bit milder than normal. Even he now had a lingering thought in his mind that they shouldn't have done this… "We could have done that ourselves!"

Diablos kept smiling. In fact…he now seemed to have a light in his eyes. A greedy and hungry one. He was looking at the woman…and something inside him was invigorated and happy to see her like this. However, he did not answer Cerberus' question. Instead, he looked up to them all, and kept his smile.

"Our hour has come." He answered. "The world belongs to us now. Siren, Pandemona, Cerberus…you know what to do."

Cerberus grit his teeth at having been ignored. Pandemona groaned at having to go out again already. Siren…stared at the woman a moment longer, her look not all together malicious…before she finally managed to snap out of it. In the end, they all looked back, and Siren herself began to smile cruely. Yes…they knew what to do. It was time to make the city of Edge their kingdom. A moment later, and the two other espers managed to look up and give their own nods, although Cerberus was a bit more curt. Once that was done, they turned and began to depart.

Diablos looked to the brothers next. "Sacred… Minotaur… Go and succeed where that human failed. Only this time I don't care for any further samples. I'm convinced that we possess all that we require. You may destroy the others. Lastly…this woman had a mate. His name is Ragnar Vice. Find him and bring him here." He smiled a bit further. "…I wish to lay him to rest alongside his bride."

Sacred and Minotaur hesitated quite a bit here. Aggressive as they were, they had only reluctantly gone along with Diablos' plan. They did desire revenge on the human race…but something about this wasn't right. It wasn't just Diablos' methods, or even the death of this woman. Something had unsettled them both greatly when they saw the hypnotized humans going to work…especially when they saw the two humans they had shared a cell with mindlessly going about it themselves, becoming like practical dogs as they went about slaving and building…

"…as you wish." Minotaur finally stated. After that, he turned and began to walk off. A moment later, and Sacred turned and reluctantly followed.

With them gone, Diablos turned his gaze back down to the woman. Her eyes were still open and frozen in that look of shock. Seeing this, he reached out with his talons and rested them on her eyelids. He slowly pulled them down, making her look far more peaceful and normal.

"Now then…come, Aerith Vice. We must make sure you are properly prepared for your funeral…"

* * *

_To be continued..._


	13. Day of the Sirens

Ugh... 

Yes, I am still busy, and now I'm having more IRL problems to slow me down from writing. School will start back up again soon and I regret to say I didn't get nearly as far as I wanted to. I can't believe it's been 20 days since I posted...

_BUT..._

I refuse to give up writing this story or undertake a new project until it is finished! I hope that gives you all some sense of hopefulness...

And this I think is my darkest chapter so far in the entire "The Servant" epic... It's also very violent.

Also, keep in mind this is the FF universe, in which cars have the driver's seat on the right, not the left, in case you think I'm screwing my directions up.

_

* * *

_

_This is the last one…_

Ragnar thought this to himself as he stared at the final bowl in the chamber. At this point, Rex and Shalua had already loaded up the others. Without their titles translated, Shalua had designated them as best as possible, and that served as the only identification. Each bowl had been emptied into a special container and sealed up. Each time, the group was afraid some sort of reaction might happen, but there was nothing else for it. Shelke, for the moment, was still behaving herself. It appeared she realized they had a common cause, especially since they only had 12 hours before she would die. However, for now, she was letting them work and just waiting overhead.

However, this last one was a problem.

Ragnar had a cylinder open and was staring at the last bowl that was in there…the one from earlier. True to their fears, if the order was correct…then the sun and moon had mixed. Two different essences were now in this one. And if that was the case, then there was no telling what type of esper might come back.

However, there was little time to be angry about this. With a sigh and a groan, he reached out and took it up. Immediately, he dumped the contents of this bowl into the final cylinder. They'd just have to mark it with both essences… He might be afraid to use it, but there was no telling what their new opponent might want to do. And if there was the chance that _he_ could come back from using this… No, it was far better in their possession. As soon as it was there, he replaced the bowl and shut the cylinder.

As he began to screw it closed, Ragnar stepped back and looked over the area again. He noticed some things were different now… Quetzacoatl's stalactite wasn't the only one that had gone dry. Several of the others had too, and Ragnar could only guess that they corresponded to the essences that had been stolen and used so far. What made him especially unnerved was when he looked around the chamber and quickly counted up that there were more than five of them that had dried… There were now nine. This didn't bode well. That meant at least eight espers were now alive and, if Shelke's story was right, against humanity. Ragnar was pretty sure that Aerith could take them…but that didn't make him much more comfortable.

After finishing sealing the last, Ragnar turned to the others in the room. Much as before, the cylinders were being placed in a special shock absorbent case. Shalua was waiting on him to put the last one in. He moved over and did so a second later.

"That's it." Ragnar stated. "All the ones that are left. Let's get out of here."

"It'd probably be a good idea to tell them to shut down the construction site for a while too." Shalua added. "They'll probably come here anyway."

"Alright…then let's get this case out of here and then get ourselves as far away from here as possible. I'm not going to wait for an airship this time. I'm getting the first boat we…"

Ragnar was cut off a second later. Abruptly, his phone began to ring. The sound was rather resonate in such a confined space, and so it gained everyone's attention. Ragnar himself looked down to his pocket, and immediately felt a wave of relief go through him. It was much later than he wanted…but it was about time. He quickly reached down, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and brought it up. Just as he had hoped, it was the Seventh Heaven. They must have seen they missed his call earlier. He quickly opened it up, pressed the button, and then put it to his head.

"Yeah?" A brief pause. "Tifa? Is that you? Great. Listen…something really bad is going on right now. We found out who stole the essences. I don't think it's safe… What? Huh?" Ragnar's face suddenly turned to confusion. It became clear from his expression that Tifa was trying to get in a word edgewise. "What happened?" A pause, then some eyes widening. "That had to have been one of the espers, Tifa. They can't send regular troops against it… What?" Another pause. This one was the longest yet.

When Ragnar heard this part…his eyes began to widen as his mouth slackened. His earnestness evaporated almost immediately. He stood there in stunned silence for a moment or so longer…before he finally dropped his arm to his side and let the phone fall to the ground completely.

He didn't care that it smashed into pieces on landing.

* * *

Tifa let the phone ring a few more times. Only then did she let out a sigh as she hung up. Not willing to give up on this just yet, she quickly brought it away, found Vincent's number on the auto-dial, entered it, and then brought it to the side of her head again. Once more, the periodic rings went off again. For a moment, Tifa's hearing was centered solely on them… 

That was when she suddenly winced as she heard a fist smash against the counter.

"Damnit!"

Tifa listened a bit longer, a bit startled by the sudden outburst, but then slowly hung up the phone and returned it to her pocket. She slowly looked around and turned to Cloud. After that latest outburst, he had turned sullen and dark once again. He crossed his arms and resumed his silent brooding. They all were at this point, after all. How else were they supposed to be after what had happened?

At the moment, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were gathered in the bar area of the Seventh Heaven. The air was quite and dark, and all of the noises of the bar and its surroundings seemed unusually hollow and cold. Their own silence was especially accented. Tifa was hovering behind the actual bar itself. Cloud, face to the wall, arms crossed, and face full of darkness, stood nearby. Barret, last of all, was leaning on the bar himself, his heavy intact arm lying on the counter while his artificial one was on his hip. He looked rather angry himself. No one else other than Reeve and Ragnar had been called at this point. Tifa was still struggling to get ahold of Vincent. Whatever had happened…based on their current information, it had to do with whatever this new group had done with the esper essences. He was the only one who had a clue to where they were at the moment. But while that was going on, there was still one predominate thought running through their heads.

While none of them may have seen the live feed, it had been replayed enough times on the television and radio since then. And by now, all of them had seen what had happened to Aerith…

At this point, none of them had been able to understand what had transpired beyond what they had seen. And to them…it looked as if Aerith had been eaten alive. None of them were able to figure out how it was possible, not given her god-like powers…but they had seen it none the less. That thing, esper or monster or whatever, had just popped up, and in their minds had killed her. Now they were at a total loss of how to proceed. The shock was still setting in. There hadn't even been much time for grief, and only due to their normal attuned abilities toward being ready for action in the middle of any contingency had they even the presence of mind to start calling their old friends back together. It looked like they had to assemble yet again…

Tifa herself was still stricken with a feeling of being stunned. After all the wars and madmen and cannons and everything else…was this how abrupt it came to be? It seemed like something out of a nightmare. She kept thinking that she had just imagined the whole thing. That it was some trick of the camera. Any moment now, Aerith would walk in and say she had taken care of both monsters. She couldn't fathom that it had ended this way…even more sudden and abrupt than before…

_This…this doesn't seem real…_

_Aerith can't really be…_

"…Still nothing." She said aloud, breaking the silence at last.

There was nothing in response. Barret was fuming a bit, but even he wasn't as angry as normal. The man was a bit older now, obviously. His beard was starting to get flecks of gray within it, and his face was starting to grow a bit more deeply lined. However, his attitude and temper had never been meaner and shorter. Yet now, he was reduced to silence, much as he had been back the first time.

"Can't see how… Damn it…" He muttered as he stood there. He nearly smashed his own metal fist against the counter, except he was too distraught at the moment for it. In the end, he flipped back over to Tifa. "What the hell was that thing, anyway? Look like some purple rainbow piece of sh't… Some sort of mutant?"

Tifa sighed. "…This doesn't really help us in any way…but because of what Ragnar and…Aerith…told us…it was probably an esper. Some sort of old creature that got brought back to life…"

"Esper?" Barret asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Ain't that what ol' Scrawny used to always go on and on about?"

"…I don't care what it is, or what Ragnar feels about it." Cloud spoke up abruptly. This made both look to him, though he kept his back to everyone else. "I'm going to kill it as soon as I see it."

Tifa and Barret were quiet. Even Barret couldn't offer his usual acknowledgement and encouragement for a violent solution. The two of them only paused a moment before looking away again. Much as they might share that sentiment, everything was still too grim and uncertain. They still had no idea what was doing this, or what it meant…

And they had other concerns to worry about now, as opposed to ten years ago.

* * *

Normally, Denzel and Azure hated having to "babysit". But for today, they didn't give their mother any trouble. They just went about doing it along with Marlene. 

The three older kids and the three younger kids were gathered in the main playroom at the moment. The younger ones were hanging around with the other students while the older ones supervised. For now, the students still hadn't realized what had happened. They thought that Aerith had just left abruptly once again, and once more felt they were stuck unable to practice their techniques. Hence, there was still a bit of rowdiness and unhappiness as the kids went about playing. Even when they weren't, they were bringing to mind a new problem. Dinnertime was coming up soon. That meant that they'd have to break off to make meals for them before long, which would mean an attempt to get back into the normal "swing" of things… It would also mean one of them would have to handle it. Tifa and their parents were…busy…

Marlene herself was sitting by the nearby music player they had in the room. None of the kids were really listening at the moment. It was mostly just "white noise" as it belted out various song versions of several nursery rhymes. It was turned down quietly as a result. The kids were making pretty much noise as it was, and she didn't feel the need to make things any more stressful or noisy. She had supervised them quite a bit by now, but now didn't feel like the time for unnecessary duress.

The girl breathed slowly as she looked out somberly over the room. She wasn't able to disguise her emotions as well as the two women she looked up to. Her eyes rested on Samoa, Simoa, and Crain. They formed their own little "cliché" most of the time, and now was no exception. They were gathered around in a small circle playing with their stuffed animals, although Crain was starting to grow out of his and preferred to use his fake sword on the other two. Currently, they too were blissfully unaware of what had happened earlier. It didn't matter that it was all over the news and radio. Kids that age didn't pay attention to those sorts of things. Tifa had sent them in here with the older kids as soon as they arrived back, meaning to mostly "put them aside", Marlene supposed, until they figured something out. She smiled slightly at the thought. Dad may have thought early on that she was never aware of what was going on, but even when she was little she realized that she'd have to be sort of "shoved away into a safe place" while he was out fighting…

Marlene looked up a bit more, and next rested her eyes on the two boys. They were still standing rigid, leaning against the wall. They never were much good for anything other than "watching". They were at the age where they really didn't want to have anything to do with little kids if they could help it. Right now, she knew, they were probably wishing they could be out with the adults as well and doing something. She had to admit…she was feeling rather helpless too. Last time, she had honestly never believed that the "flower girl" was dead, despite the contrary evidence. Yet now…

Of course…that was something strange as well.

Somehow…it didn't feel like she was really gone this time either… She knew there was no denying what she saw. That…thing…had swallowed her whole. Alive. And yet…something about it seemed not possible. Perhaps it was just denial…her mind unable to process and believe what she had seen. Then again…Marlene had always been able to almost feel her presence. She couldn't explain how. She wasn't a Cetra or a mage…at least, she didn't think so about the latter part… So how could she sense this? Did it mean anything?

_But if that's the case…_ She thought to herself. _Then what did that monster do to her? Why?

* * *

_

A monstrous paw came out and ripped its massive talons through the frame of the metal doorway. It didn't matter how many locks were in place or how heavy. Cerberus shredded them all with ease. And once they had fallen off to the ground in ribbons, he smacked out with his paw again and knocked the door open. With a growl from his three heads, he then backed off, leaving the opening clear for those behind to enter.

Pandemona stood with arms crossed at the side, letting out a much, much larger yawn than normal as he patted over his air sac opening. Siren, on the other hand, turned to her own side, and gestured.

"After you."

The workers at the weather station immediately gave a nod in response. There were about three of them gathered nearby. The others stood at a distance behind them, awaiting their own command. These three, however, paid no more mind or hesitation toward the three espers. They immediately rushed into the open doorway and to the machinery that was within. Once they were there, they quickly started to make adjustments to the equipment.

Siren was well pleased. She hated having to get her hands dirty regarding matters like this. Now, fools like Cerberus might have wanted to come in and rip the throats out of everyone in the vicinity of these strange, ugly, cold new human dwellings. But where would be the utility in that? They'd end up having to fumble over the devices and rooms themselves, trying to find where they were supposed to go and what they had to do. What good was that when there were a wealth of slaves within earshot to do this for you?

The three espers continued to wait, Cerberus continuously casting distrustful looks at the brainwashed humans surrounding them, while Pandemona continued to look bored. He hadn't truly been needed, it seemed. He was just there in case something had gone wrong. Yet everything was going without a hitch, thanks to her. She waited a few minutes longer, when the people in the small chamber stopped. Immediately, they all filed out and parted, leaving the doorway open.

"All is prepared, Lady Siren." They informed her. "Push the main button located next to the microphone, wait for the introductory message, and then sing in it as you wish. Your voice will immediately carry over the broadcast."

"Good." She answered. "You and the rest of your ilk shall go to the area known as DeepGround. There is much work for you to do there. I'll be sending far more along very soon."

The three didn't just give a respectful bow. They actually dropped to both knees before Siren, touching their heads to the ground. Basic worship was fairly satisfying. Later, it'd be even more fun to make them act like fools…or something more lethal or perverse… But for now, this was enough. The rest of her slaves did the same behind her, before they all rose and began to file out. Siren herself drew her body up and then calmly walked forward, ducking into the doorway and entering into the next room.

It was much like the command console back in DeepGround. A room filled with machinery and monitors. There were no things called "videos" in here, showing actual reality. They were all instruments of a different sort. Siren knew that this station was meant to monitor "weather", and she supposed these were various aspects of it. It mattered little to her. All that mattered was that this particular room connected to some sort of large device called an "antenna", which projected a signal throughout every means of communication the humans had in their city, including several large places with big things called "loudspeakers" which would, in effect, make her voice be heard all over the city. Those who were fortunate enough to not hear it would soon enough…as Siren's first order to her new slaves would be to find all people who hadn't heard to her so she could intrance them as well…and kill them if they refused.

_Wonderful things these humans have made…_ Siren thought. _If it wasn't for the fact that my voice had no effect on Diablos…I could run this planet myself…_

Siren stepped in a bit more, until she was shrouded with the darkness of the chamber. Only the glow of the lights and monitors illuminated her. She looked down to this device called a microphone, and slowly let her pale fingers encircle it. Another finger went down and pushed the button…

* * *

Barret had begun pacing around, anxious for battle at this point. Cloud was still brooding. He looked like his palms were itching for his sword. Tifa herself had begun to try and dial Ragnar again. For a moment, they were allowed to continue on this path… 

That was when they heard it outside.

All three raised their heads as a single, long note rang out over the city. It was plain and noisy, and appeared to fade in and out. A moment later, it went down and then came out again. There was little mistaking it as a warning siren. Years ago, during the war, it became clear that the constant state of alert for the city of Edge necessitated the PPA being able to contact everyone in the city at once. Although the system had only been online a few weeks before the war ended, it was still useful now for general alerts in case of inclimate weather. It was also to be put on reserve in case another city-wide crisis occurred, of which there had been several in the past…even before the PPA showed up.

And since earlier today a block had been torn up by one giant monster…more than one might constitute an alert.

Cloud, Tifa, and Barret immediately looked outside with earnest. Maybe there was a clue here…

_"Warning. This is the emergency broadcast system."_ A faint voice began to come out from unseen loudspeakers, booming a recorded voice for miles and miles over the sirens. _"Please turn on your radio or television if you are unable to hear this broadcast. Stand by for emergency information. This is not a test."_

Hearing that, Tifa immediately reacted. She turned back down to the bar. Just behind it was the radio. She moved over to it, quickly reached over and turned it on, and soon began to get a long, monotone, electronic signal. It was the one for an emergency broadcast. After she turned it on and turned up the volume, Barret went back over the bar and looked down to it. Cloud quickly rushed to the counter and looked over as well.

"Maybe they'll give us some lead…" Cloud announced, voicing the thoughts that the others had.

"I hope so…" Tifa answered…fearing that it might be another, larger attack with no real direction…

The three listened a bit longer as the beep went on. However, it shut down soon afterward. And once it did, the special broadcast began. Almost immediately…they were a bit surprised as they began to hear the voice of a woman singing over that of a newscaster…

* * *

The playroom stayed silent as Marlene turned down the music player a bit lower. She looked up and over to the window, along with everyone else in the room. They heard the siren just over the noise. The children, most of who knew what that meant, and those that didn't stricken with curiosity, went silent and listened as well. The games and playing, for the moment, had come to a halt as everyone looked that way. 

Marlene was probably more attentively listening than any of the children. She along with Denzel and Azure had gotten up and moved closer to the windows. The sun was beginning to set now. Clouds had rolled in and left everything looking rather gray and overcast. Rain might be soon. However, what they focused on was the sound of the loudspeakers, recognizing the sound. It was an emergency broadcast signal. It was being rung for public awareness. That might mean that some sort of disaster was impending. Moreover, however…it might mean the monsters had shown themselves again. If so, then perhaps there would soon be a lead or something… At any rate, if the older kids were going to be stuck here, they wanted to know what it was. This was the only way they could be in on it.

The music player itself wasn't a radio. It was just for memory disks. Hence, they couldn't "tune in". However, there should have still been an audio message on the general speaker blared out over town. If the kids stayed quiet, they should be able to hear it. And they were, for the moment. They were curious too, and had perceived the change in the room. One of the more inquisitive ones turned to Marlene, however.

"What is it?"

"Shh." She answered. "There's some sort of emergency broadcast. We have to be quiet and listen."

The child seemed to take that as good enough for now, and turned and looked outside. For a few moments longer, the siren continued to blare outside. After about another minute, however, it cut off. Soon after…another voice began to come on.

Two notes of some sort of musical song went by…but even in those two notes…Marlene and the others remembered a few moments later something haunting, slow, and dark…yet at the same time almost enrapturing…entrancing…

However, that was all Marlene, her friends, the kids, or the children at the orphanage managed to focus on or hear clearly. For right at that moment…something great, red, and black smashed through the window, tearing through the metal grating the whole way, and thrust itself onto an open space of floor on the other side.

Almost immediately, everyone had their attention snapped off of the message and turned their full attention to the object. The nearby kids screamed and ran back. Luckily, the glass shards that fell to the ground were far enough away to prevent damage, but they still splayed out everywhere, making the children rise and run away. The form itself flattened the metal grate beneath it, so it didn't go far.

Marlene herself shrunk away from the music player and from the person. Azure and Denzel nearly leapt back in surprise, but held their ground. Crain, nearby, had a bit of his normal confidence and boldness evaporate at the sight of actual danger, and he immediately leapt up and ran to the protection of his older brothers. And Simoa and Samoa, both far more mild-mannered, and seeing Marlene too far away to be within running distance, ran instead to their best friend and his protection. Soon, Azure and Denzel had the kids crowding around him. All eyes turned down to the form. Marlene herself, shocked by the sudden arrival, was unable to make her brain work right away on what it was… That only lasted a moment, however.

The person that Marlene knew more through reputation than association known as Vincent Valentine was forced to stay crouched against the ground on all four limbs for a few seconds. His black hair was spilled over his head and his red cape shrouded the rest of him. However, it stayed on the ground no longer than that. As Marlene began to notice that parts of that cape had been raggedly torn and slashed in several spots, it suddenly flexed and slipped back as the man beneath it rose up. Within a few instants, the man was on his feet, and showed his whole profile to those in the chamber.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Much of Vincent's clothing was in tatters now. There were blood and gashes covering several portions of his body. Only some of it had scabbed over. The rest was still bleeding. In fact, he had left quite a stain behind on the carpet. The man didn't pant, it seemed, but his mouth still hung loosely open, and sweat was on his brow and the exposed parts of his skin. He looked as if he had been running and fighting for some time, and that in addition to being in pain he had to be exhausted.

Yet despite all of that, some sort of vivid life stirred in his limbs. A sense of urgency was in his eyes. He hesitated only to look out to the others in the room. His red eyes quickly assessed his situation and what was going on. What more…now that the moment had passed, he seemed to take note of the song that was coming through the now-open window on the loudspeakers. He only heard a note of that clearly before he turned to the others. In particular…his gaze locked on the older children: Marlene, Denzel, and Azure.

"Cover your ears…_now_." He ordered.

For a moment, the older children as well as the younger could only look back in confusion. "What?" Marlene answered.

In response…Vincent extended his arm, pointed the barrel of Cerberus at Marlene's head, and fired.

A deafening blast shot through the room. The children, seeing the sudden arrival point a gun at someone and shoot, immediately went into a screaming fit. The younger ones began to cry at the top of their lungs. Even Denzel and Azure shrunk back as they heard the gun erupt. Their eyes barely managed to focus in wide-eyed shock on what had just happened. Only as the thunder died down were they able to look.

Marlene herself was a pale statue. Just to the left of her head…she could smell the scent of gunpowder and plaster arising from three holes in the wall. She had felt the wind tug at her hair from that shot. Now, she found herself immobile. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and she nearly lost control of her bladder…

_"Cover you ears NOW!"_ Vincent, in a rare moment, actually yelled, cocking his gun again.

Marlene didn't need to be told again. Out of sheer shock, her hands reached up and covered her ears. Vincent didn't waste a moment…but quickly twisted his gun over to Denzel and Azure. Both of these boys were bold. They had been crazy enough to try and take on a pair of Tsviets the other day. And yet, seeing Vincent glaring at them like that…feeling his dark, cold aura wash over them…seemed to sap them of all of their strength and will. Something unnatural exuded from him that was far worse than mere intimidation. And even if there wasn't…there was the fact that Vincent's sudden behavior didn't seem to be crazy or psychotic…but purposeful. After all, he didn't go on rampages. He seemed to always arrive in the nick of time when danger was imminent…

So what did that mean about him being here?

They complied a monent later. Vincent twisted his gun down to the younger kids soon after. Immediately…Samoa and Simoa started bawling. Crain himself began to panic and tear up. Even he, brave as he wanted to be, couldn't fully restrain himself in the face of that dark aura. Here, Denzel and Azure began to break. They nearly shifted and spoke out to him, taking their hands off their ears and retorting. However, Vincent didn't stay long enough for that to happen. Once they were crying in terror as well and clinging to the older children more desperately than before, Vincent put his gun to his side. He spun around to the window…and soon went to work.

The siren could barely be heard over the sounds of the screaming and crying in the room, although some of it faintly got through. Petrified in fear as they were, some of the children were slowly quieting down…subconsciously wanting to hear that song more, even if it meant upsetting the stranger who had just broke in with a gun…

However, Vincent was fast. Every move he made looked strained, and his dark voice gave a grunt more than once. Obviously, his injuries had drained him. Yet he still had enough strength to get to the nearest drawing table. It was being used for recreational art. The kids immediately fled from it like mice from a light. Vincent ignored it. Instead, he reached down with his hand and talon, seized it, and then grit his teeth as he lifted the entire piece of furniture off of the ground. The paint and paper went flying to the ground, but he didn't care. Now that he had it up, he quickly moved over to the wall and slammed it up, table-top first, against the opening he had just made. The siren's sound diminished somewhat as a result. Luckily, the heating unit was under the window frame, and he was able to prop the legs up against it to keep it aloof.

Once that was done, Vincent spun back and looked to the music player. Some of the siren was still making it through. Some of the kids huddled in fear didn't realize it…but they were inching closer to the window to hear it. Luckily, they scattered again when Vincent cast his presence over them. He did so as he ran over to the music machine, grabbed the volume knob, and immediately turned it up full blast. Now, in addition to the crying and screaming, there was the added element of a rather deafening blast of a nursery rhyme rocking through the room. However…it served to successfully drown out the rest of the noise from outside.

Vincent limped over to the door into the room next. Although he still looked tired and weary, he looked at it only a moment before turning his head to the side, seeing a rack of "cubbies" for the children's school materials. He quickly rushed over to that and seized it. It was a bit much for him, and he ended up having to pull out a few bookbags and things, but he managed to drag it in front of the door. After that, he quickly pushed another table in front of it. Then he started piling up the kid's chairs. Once he had about seven of them, he went to a bookshelf and started ripping down books to put them in front of it as well. He went for the big ones, of course…the dictionary, the encyclopedia…

A few moments later, and Marlene began to realize what was happening. He was barricading the door… Now that the moment of initial fear had passed and his attention was no longer focused on her, Marlene began to slowly calm down and start seeing the man as the one who had helped Cloud out back at the City of the Ancients, and helped them again in the Dome. She started to realize that before, he simply had no time to argue. He wanted her to cover her ears and cover them quick. Yet now…she risked pulling her hands away. The noise she heard was unpleasant…crying and overly loud speakers…and she winced, but she called out as well.

"Vincent…what's going on?"

The books had been piled. With that done, Vincent shoved the smaller ones off and grabbed the whole shelf. With much grunting, he began to push it in front of the door as well.

"…As soon as the siren outside stops…" He spoke in his grim voice, barely audible over the din, and only capable of being heard due to proximity. "…We're leaving through that window as fast as possible…"

Denzel and Azure may not have heard Vincent exactly, but they had definitely seen his change in mood, and that he was talking to Marlene. They looked up a bit more curiously in response. "What?" She asked. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"

"If we have to go before then…keep your ears covered." Vincent darkly answered. He pulled out his massive handgun, the Cerberus, soon after. "Get the kids to cover their ears…hum…just don't listen to the message. No matter what." He flatly continued as he popped it open. He reached into his pocket and began to fish around for what Marlene assumed was more bullets.

Denzel and Azure had caught part of this, but were still confused toward the meaning. As for Marlene, she hesitated a moment. What was he talking about? The broadcast? That was the only message that could be going out right now… But if so, then what was going on? As she looked to his behavior and what he had done…she began to realize that he was acting in a way to keep them from listening to it. That made her more certain that something was going on that was seriously wrong. With that in mind, she began to think that they should listen to him and maybe not question anything else…

Vincent indeed managed to pull out a few bullets and start putting them in his gun…when yet another noise sounded through the din.

Loud knocking.

"Marlene? What's going on in there?" Tifa's voice suddenly sounded.

The kids, both younger, older, and students, all turned their heads to the source of that. Vincent himself snapped his own head up and toward the door. He slammed his barrel shut a moment later. After that, he began to move to the door.

"…Hum. Cover your ears. Do whatever you can to not hear the siren outside. We're going now."

Marlene snapped back around, looking confused. "Huh? What?"

Another knocking…louder. The door shook a bit.

"Marlene? Why is the door locked? Open up in there!"

"Why? What's happening?" Azure finally spoke up himself.

Vincent put his gun at his side and reached the table. "There's no time. Do it now or you won't have a chance."

The girl hesitated. She wasn't sure what to do. However…something wasn't right here. Vincent was keeping his voice low. You couldn't hear it on the other side of the door. And he had to recognize Tifa's voice. But he wasn't calling out with an explanation. Something was wrong…and the wounds and damage that Vincent had, as well as how long she had known and trusted him…was beginning to weigh more on her. She slowly felt herself beginning to move toward the window…

That was when it happened.

Not all of the kids had frozen up. Some of them were old enough to be reckless and confuse that with bravery. While it was better probably to stay quiet in this situation if the potential aggressor had a gun, unless one could get a quiet message out, children didn't think that way. Abruptly…one of them yelled. It was nearly at the top of his lungs, loud enough to hear even through the door.

_"There's a stranger with a gun in here, Mrs. Tifa!"_

There was the briefest moment of silence from the other side.

"…Tifa, it's Vincent!" Marlene yelled back a moment later. "He's not…"

That was all Marlene got out before she and the other older kids turned a bit white.

Abruptly…Tifa's hand smashed through the door.

The shocking thing wasn't that Tifa had put her hand through the wooden door…although that in itself was rather stunning. This wasn't a flimsy one that had previously been in the Seventh Heaven. This was a solid one of the new complex. She could still beat through it if necessary. And she probably would if she noticed that they were in danger. However…she would have put a glove on first. And she would have focused her strength better. Instead…the children in the room watched as her skin split open and blood came out from bashing it bare-knuckled and unfocused. They also noticed how white it was from how hard it was clenched…accenting the power within it that looked to be more than just earnest. It looked almost to be…anger.

A moment later…and the arm attached to the hand yanked down ninety degrees and began to feel for the knob to the door. It touched nothing at first…but then more arm came through so that it could feel down further. When it did, the face of the woman came in closer, and pressed itself against the hole.

Most of the children in the room didn't see this, but Azure, Denzel, Marlene, Crain, and the twins had their attention to the door and saw it.

Her eyes were pupiless…red…and filled with anger.

The younger kids were speechless. They stared in blank shock. But as for the older ones…they saw that look, and the ferociousness with which the woman now began to grasp at the door, trying to open it up. And when they saw it, even without using the logic that Tifa could now see inside and realize there was no danger, or that she had to have heard Marlene…they realized that this wasn't being fueled by a simple desire to help the children. This was something more…sinister.

At once, the others turned back to Vincent. He looked coldly back at them.

A moment later, and Denzel and Azure were crouching down next to the kids.

"Crain…I need you to cover your ears and start humming 'My Little Cat', alright?"

"Samoa, Simoa, you two do the same." Azure threw in. The two twins stared back with a moment's hesitation, but then nodded and began to put their hands over their ears. Even as they did so, Azure reached out and scooped his arms around their waists, and immediately lifted them off the ground.

"What's going on?" Crain answered back, however, more hesitant. "What's wrong with mom?"

"Kids…open this door right now!" Tifa's voice yelled through the opening. "And turn that music down! You need to listen to the alert!"

"Crain, just do as I say!" Denzel interrupted, ignoring Tifa's call and being more aggressive. Immediately, he scooped up Denzel as well. Both boys began to head for the window, carrying the smaller children behind.

Tifa seemed to see that she was going, and immediately looked to Marlene instead. "Marlene…get over here and open this door right now!"

A second later…and a deeper voice…angrier than Marlene had ever heard directed to her before…sounded.

"You listen to her and open this damn door, Marlene!" Barret's voice boomed. "You open it up or I'll blow it down!"

That snapped Marlene out of it. Any further hesitation she had was destroyed. For a moment, after part of the door had been broken, she had heard the emergency call slightly more clearly. And when she had…part of her had subconsciously begun to lean back to the door. A section of her brain told her to obey Tifa's call, angry as it was, to listen to the alert. Yet her father's angry yelling had destroyed that attraction. It jolted her to her senses and made her back away…farther from the sound, deeper into the yelling, the crying, and everything else. When that happened, she was freed. Immediately, she turned and began to run for the window.

A second later, and all six children were clamboring around Vincent. The man himself still looked uncomfortable, but began to reach for the table.

"…Do whatever you can to not hear the siren if it's still going off when we get out there." Vincent coldly stated. "There's a van parked about 100 yards away from this window. Head for it."

"What's going on?" Azure asked a moment after. "What's with the siren?"

"There's no time to tell you." Vincent answered. "If they're coming through here, then outside will be…"

_Crunch…_

The older kids snapped back to the door and looked. Crain was with them. The twins themselves were doing as they were told. They gaped.

The end of Event Horizon had pierced through the door. Now it moved from side to side, prying open the wood and exposing more of the hall behind. More bodies were revealed behind…including a large one with a gun on one arm coming forward.

Marlene now felt herself begin to sweat. She turned back to Vincent, as he gave a powerful yank and ripped the table out from the hole, exposing the outside again. But even as he did…her eyes drifted back to the room…back to the children huddled on the ground. Now they were stricken with fear as well as confusion, going into greater distress and not knowing what was happening. She turned back to Vincent a moment later.

"What about the students?"

"…It's too late to save them. We'll just have to pray." Vincent answered as he shoved himself up on the radiator and then flung himself out the window.

Marlene's eyes widened. "We can't just leave them!"

"Then grab one and leave, or you'll share their fate." Vincent coldly retorted as he hopped down on the other side of the window.

Marlene looked to the boys. Azure and Denzel held a moment. They too weren't easy about this. Much as they disliked the job of having to "babysit", they realized now that they were leaving the kids behind in the path of danger. And they weren't alright with that. However…they had children in their arms already that they had to save. Heartless as Vincent's words seemed…there was sense in them that Marlene was not able to immediately grasp. Azure was the first one who was able…and he gave one last regretful exhale before turning and leaping on top of the radiator to duck through the window. Even carrying the twins, he was able to accent his superior strength. Denzel held back a bit longer, but then let out a curse of his own as he turned and began to move out the window.

That left Marlene. She hesitated a bit longer. She moved toward the window…but then looked back behind her toward the doorway. As she did…another fist pounded a bloody hole through the door. The sword came through again. It was hacking at it like an ax. However, it wasn't fear for who, or rather whatever had possessed her family, was on the other side of the door, but rather how she could do this to the children in there. She couldn't abandon them. There was no one left to help them now…and she didn't know what fate was in store for them…

"They're not going to kill them." A dark, cold voice came in from outside. It was the only reassurance. "Come now."

Marlene snapped back to the window. She paused for one second longer…before she realized she had to do something. Denzel was almost out. It was her turn. She didn't have time to think any longer. Her head spun back to the room for a fraction of a second.

The nearest child was a single boy. Young. Shy. Fearful. He gaped at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, totally confused and afraid.

Before she could even think of who he was or his power…Marlene reached out and began to grab him by the shoulders. She hunched over to pull him up, and managed a somewhat soft voice. "Come on…we've got to go right-"

Marlene's voice was cut off as chain gun fire erupted from a gun barrel on the other side of the breaking door. The kids screamed and hit the ground. Any ones that were bold or looking up now immediately went into panic. Denzel himself threw his body and Crain's out the rest of the way of the window. And as for Marlene…blind panic and terror suddenly grasped her senses. Her instincts took over a moment later, not thinking about the danger or anything else. The child she had just managed to grab the arms of was about to squirm out and hit the dirt with everyone else…when her hands instinctively clenched shut and grasped with a vice grip. She was unable to do anything else but that. A moment later, and her body shot back up as the gunshots continued to thunder, and she yanked the boy off the ground with her. Moving roughly and wildly, she used her upward momentum to throw him up and over the radiator and out through the window. Her own strength was only enough to get his upper body out, but that was enough weight to drag him the rest of the way. Then, she herself, in a move that might have made Tifa proud, leapt up off the ground and launched herself over the radiator and out the window as well. She didn't have quite enough power to get as far as the child had, but she still managed to get her body on top of it and half outside the broken window frame with a single lunge.

The siren immediately became clearer, but was still far overshadowed by the noises blasting past Marlene from the open doorway. From her position, halfway hanging out of the window, she saw the child she had picked up and practically tossed outside, sprawled on the playground concrete in front of her.

Seeing him, and still acting on instinct, Marlene flung herself further forward and pulled her entire body over the edge. It fell to the ground moments later, nearly smashing on top of the child. However, only her upper body made contact with his lower body, so there wasn't much pain involved. It was a bit rough for her, and she let out an "oof" on contact. A moment later and she acted on what Vincent had told her. She dragged herself just a bit further forward and cupped her hands over the boy's ears.

It wasn't until that moment that the gunfire cut off. Although Marlene had no idea what had happened to stop it…whether it be their escape or something else…at that point, the background noise that was cutting off the siren was severely diminished. From her position against the building, much of the crying and music from the player was toned down, and the sounds of the warning became much clearer…clear enough for her to hear once again.

Marlene was able to only pick up one thing from it. The sound was haunting…and melodious. She wasn't able to grasp it was a song, however. She wasn't able to grasp anything. Her world suddenly seemed dim and shadowy. Everything else around her seemed to melt away into a black blob. The only thing left was the sound. Unlike the rest, it became clearer and more distinct. Sharper. More soulful and melodious. She began to hear other sounds in it…sounds both bizarre and wondrous, exhilarating and gross. Yet she couldn't focus on what they were. She couldn't even recall any sounds. All that happened was that the world became that sound. Not just in her ears…before her eyes…around her feet…everything she could touch and see… The melody swirled around her…began to conjure up images… Shadows of people talking to her… And at their head…a pleasant face…one that began to touch her heart…arouse feelings she had almost forgotten she had…ones of warmth and comfort and joy that cared for nothing else…

Then, just as she was about to hear something…it stopped. The song ended.

Even so…Marlene saw nothing but the shadow. She stared plainly at the form in front of her. It had begun to take shape…become someone…but had ceased just shy of being enough to recognize it. And there Marlene waited…staring onward…waiting for her to finish forming…waiting for her to say something…

Hot, stabbing pains in her shoulder made the vision vanish. Even so, the word remained dark and opaque. The pain itself was dull…like some sort of scream that you hear through a closed door with a pillow over your ears. It took a few moments for it to become more distinctive. However, since it didn't fade…it continued to grow, becoming stronger and more acute. And when it did…some of the darkness parted. She began to see light shadows form again. This time…of concrete, and paint on it denoting game squares. Images of her own arms reaching out and touching the ears of a boy beneath her, who seemed to be moving. And over it all, a more "real" shadow draped in blood red, one arm out and grasping her shoulder.

It was like a dream. Or some sort of sleepwalking. The world seemed very heavy and foggy all around her. Everything seemed inconcrete and unreal. Only with a conscious, focused effort did Marlene turn her head to her own shoulder. There were Vincent's metal talons, reaching out and piercing her soft flesh, letting blood flow. They were in a good half inch.

Only that level of pain was able to break her slightly out of the trance.

And she hadn't even fully fallen under the spell.

"Ow…" Marlene said…not from so much desire as it seemed the appropriate response. Everything seemed sluggish and fake. Had she ever been drunk, she might have thought it was like that… She slowly turned her head back forward. "Feel…slow…"

"…The music has stopped." She understood a moment later. The words had left Vincent's mouth a few seconds before, but it took her that long to even realize what he had said. Everything still seemed like walking in a dream. She had to focus on moving each limb as the talons left her shoulder and went to her underarm. A moment later and they pulled up. Barely able to keep her balance, feeling like she was floating or bobbing in some ocean, Marlene staggered up to her feet and kept her legs underneath her. The child, almost forgotten, arose with her. He had calmed down now, but looked imploringly to both her and the dark man. Young and unknowing as he was, the boy seemed to have recognized, as Marlene once had, that Vincent was someone of authority who was trying to help. That was good, for Marlene's usefulness for the moment had ended with her covering the boy's ears, protecting him from the same spell that now clung to her and stubbornly refused to be dispelled.

"Vincent!" A distant echo rang out.

Marlene looked up along with the dark man. Now…she saw something that truly did make her think she was dreaming.

It was the street outside. It was still dark and shadowy, and seemed to have an ethereal element about it. The sky was cloudy and gray, making everything the same drab color. However…she saw something else. In the neighborhood, doors were breaking down. Windows were shattering. And like crazed madmen…people were leaping out of their homes and into the streets. Most of them had small bludgeoning weapons. Canes…umbrellas…coat racks… One had a knife. Another had a rifle. Their eyes were red. Their looks were insane. They turned to Marlene and her small group. They seemed like predators looking for meat…and they were the prey.

Marlene recognized danger…but in this sense it was worse than a dream. In a dream, seeing danger still fills you with fear. To her, the fear was still dampened by the stupor that hung over her. Somehow she had enough consciousness to think, however. Sticking in her brain now like a buoy floating in the midst of an endless, thick ocean was the pain in her shoulder, the lines of blood running out and beginning to drip. She clung to that now…and when she did, she could think. She didn't waste time or energy trying to think of why, or how this could be possible. She only saw danger. She realized she had to go.

She looked ahead again. Vincent had gone back for her. Denzel was ahead, still holding onto Crain. Azure was just in front, holding up both twins. Thus immobilized, he stared in confusion and unease as he saw the neighborhood in front of him suddenly explode to life. All of the neighboring apartments and facilities had suddenly unleashed their residents…and they were coming for them. More came as time went on. As the distant sounds of breaking glass hit Marlene's ears, she saw people break through second and third story windows and hit the ground. Many of them clearly broke something on landing…but continued to rise and come after them, ignoring the wounds. The twins were still keeping their eyes closed and humming. Crain, on the other hand, was up and looking around. His eyes were widening in fear.

Vincent didn't stay put. He turned and continued to run forward, across the play yard and toward the fence. It was already open. The lock looked like it had been torn. Just down the street was what Vincent had been talking about…a van. It looked like a minor moving vehicle for a local business. It was old, rusted, and painted the same bleak gray as the sky. However…the driver had already abandoned it. He was coming toward them now along with everyone else. He brandished a tire iron.

Once the dark man passed them, he yanked out his gun. Soon, Azure took off after him. Once Denzel appeared to notice, he turned and ran as well. Marlene was left behind for a moment. She saw the people closing in on them. Now, further down the street, they were beginning to come from around the block. They were gathering in more numbers all the time, running full speed for them. There were already fifty. With this in mind, Marlene forced herself to move. It was strange…like controlling herself from outside her body…even watching someone else move. However, it worked none the less. She rushed forward, bent down to scoop up the boy, brought him back up to her chest and put his head over her shoulder, and then ran.

Her mind began to clear now. Now…it truly did begin to feel like a nightmare. Her heart began to beat faster, and cold sweat started to bead along her spine. Perhaps it was the adrenaline… At any rate, it seemed to take forever to run the short distance to get out of the playground. She didn't dare look back, but she could look up in front of her. And as she did, she saw the people closing in on her…seeming more real all the time. She began to get a frightening sensation…like some sort of deer being closed in on by wolves. And the closer they came…the more she could feel her own mortality within her. Vincent cleared the fence first. Azure, weighed down as he was, cleared it not long afterward. Vincent was still the faster of the two, but he was keeping up fine. Denzel took about three seconds longer. As soon as he reached it…the first of the red-eyed neighbors was nearly on him. Only ten feet away…

A sharp gunshot cut through the air…seeming to tear away the shades and unreality from Marlene's mind. Reality became a bit sharper and more distinct as she watched the man's knee explode in an eruption of blood. He stumbled, for he had been just about to put his weight on that knee, and when he did she saw it twist grotesquely and his upper leg seem to shift off of it. Yet that only paused him a moment. As soon as Denzel was clear, the man straightened up…and, unbelievably, kept running…

Another gunshot went out. This time…the lower leg went flying off. The smell of blood began to go into Marlene's nostrils as she approached the same break in the fence. It shook her to more of her senses…and aroused her stomach churning and her mind filling with horror. The man didn't even seem to notice the pain…but physics would no longer let him ignore them. As his leg went flying aside, his body spilled forward and landed on the ground face first. His chin impacted hard and split open as his forward momentum raked him along, cutting up his flesh and spilling more blood. Marlene turned the corner of the fence opening just as his body ground to a halt, just inches from her. As she turned and ran for the van…she still felt the man's fingers, stiff and ravenous, reach out and just scrape the back of her shoe…

At any rate, the next nearest one was a good forty feet away. And now that Marlene had turned a corner, she was running away from them. She was weighed down along with the others, but they still had some time. However, ones that were farther away were approaching in the opposite direction they were running. They'd be there soon if nothing else. She tried not to focus on that. Neither did anyone else. They were in a race now. This was the longest remaining 70 yards of her life…but they had to get to the end before the rest of these people did. Whatever had suddenly turned them mad didn't want them to get away…

Soon, the driver of the van became the next nearest person. Screaming like a beast, he held his tire iron over he head and bellowed as he approached Vincent. Another shot later…and his right foot flew off. He spilled forward and landed face flat, much the same as the other man did. However, this time, the attacker's arms were out. He braced himself on landing, keeping his face from connecting. A moment later, and as Vincent approached, he propped himself up on his arms and waved the tire iron upward. He swung out for Vincent's shin as he came, trying to cripple him. The dark man managed to see it, however. He leapt over it…then drove his other foot forward into his head…driving the point of his metal boot in as he did so…

This one didn't keep trying to attack after that.

Marlene's senses were coming alive more all the time. She actually slowed in her step as she gaped at what had just happened, seeing Vincent yank his foot out from the head and continue to run. She couldn't believe it. The girl had seen many horrible things in her time…but seeing a man killed just a few yards in front of her by another man was still ghastly. It was only because her senses were indeed coming back…that she realized that the people around her were closing in, looking ready to rip her limb from limb…that she had another life in her arms…that she managed to put on the speed again. Now, nothing was between them and the car.

Only 30 yards away…yet seeming like miles…sat the van. The door was still open. As Marlene began to feel her heart race and fear fully grasp her, she realized this was a race for her life now. She began to think more into the future. What if the doors were locked? What would they do once inside? What would these people do to them if they didn't get there in time? Vincent began to widen the distance in front of them. Perhaps that was because he was increasing speed. Perhaps it was because the others only carefully rounded the mess of the driver… But the other people weren't slowing. They were beginning to form a train behind Marlene now. Ones from across the street were too far away to stop her before she ran past them, but they quickly began to lap at her heels, joining in with the others. And they were gaining. She was motivated by fear, but something that was now within them forced them to run just as frantically and desperately after her. The ones still in front were closing fast. She saw they were almost as far from the car as her and her two friends…

Finally…it happened. Vincent reached the car first. He went to the door, but then immediately turned back. Once there…Marlene caught a glimpse of him briefly. He was sweating and heaving far more than they were now. He looked paler than usual. Yet somehow…he was still acting. He raised his gun once again. He didn't aim to fire this time. Rather…Marlene watched as a glimpse of red and blue shone together as one from the side of his gun…radiated as he looked all around him at the crowd coming forward, especially on the mob that was nearly to the rear of the car.

A second later…and the first ring of incoming people burst into flame.

It was something so horrible this time that Marlene forced herself to not watch. She focused only on the van. Yet even then…her peripheral vision kept seeing it. The bodies were soon engulfed with fire…but they _kept coming_. They ran forward just as madly as before. She began to feel heat behind her, and she ran even faster then…knowing it was one of their flaming bodies chasing her. Some of them still made it to Vincent. They both had bludgeoning weapons. One swung at him. His metal arm lashed out and grasped it, and then he kicked that person in the stomach and knocked him forward on his back. He switched his gun around a moment later and gave the butt of it to the other one's head. As they were thrown aside by the power of the blow, teeth soaked in blood hit the pavement.

Azure reached the van with the kids. When he did…it started. As the ring of fire tightened in on them…the pain became too great. The power too strong. It began to dip in the realm of fatal. And when that happened, the spell over them, seeming to realize that they were no good to it dead…began to loosen its power. And it let what was beneath feel it.

The screams began.

They were horrific. They broke the last shades holding Marlene back and exposed her to true terror. People cried out in agony all around her…absolute, terrible misery. The sounds of people awaking from a black nightmare into a living hell. Their panic only let them run a bit longer. The fire had already worked itself too much into them. Soon they began to collapse all around them in that half circle. All of them screamed at the top of their lungs, as if they were letting out the last bits of their life with it. The odor of roasting flesh filled Marlene's nostrils. The smoke laced with the scent of burnt clothing and hair stung her eyes.

It was no nightmare. It was Hell.

Marlene's senses had come full term only to begin to be driven to panicked madness as they were surrounded by flaming bodies. The heat and fire lapped up around them as Denzel reached the van as well. Azure literally threw the kids in through the open door so he could go to the side and pop the lock for the side sliding door. Even though he was free of his burden, he moved to the side and begun to open it. At that moment…Marlene saw Crain. The child's eyes were wide with terror as his bravery was shattered. He couldn't see in front of him…but his head was over his shoulder, watching as the flaming terrors pursuing Marlene fell to the ground. That was too much for him. He began to cry hysterically.

Unable to take this madness…Marlene began to scream. Yet it wasn't hysteria. It was release. It was the only thing she could do to keep her sanity. Scream out all the shock and terror and horror that was overflowing her brain.

Denzel put Crain inside, ignoring his screaming and practically shoving him in there. He leapt in as well. Azure moved down and jumped into the side too. As for Marlene, she soon reached it, passing Vincent's own dark form as she did so, and dumped the boy in, forcing herself to stifle her own scream just as tears started to roll from her eyes. When that happened, she moved to enter herself.

Before she could, a gloved hand shot out and grabbed her by her good shoulder. She turned and looked, and saw Vincent staring back at her.

"Driver's seat." He stated coldly.

Marlene gaped back at him in surprise. The driver's seat? He wanted her to take it? Yet there was no time for question. He released her, turned, and began to run around the other side of the car. Soon, she was left standing there with the open door. Ahead of her, all around, were flames. But beyond it, like imps dancing in pits of misery, were the other people. They weren't afraid of the fire. As their own neighbors fell and burned to death, they were charging over them…still wanting the fresh meat beyond.

Marlene had no time to think. She did as she was told. She rushed forward, leapt into the open door, sat in the driver's seat, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Soon after doing so, Denzel slammed the side passenger door as well. An instant later, and the passenger front seat opened, Vincent leapt in, and slammed it closed again a moment later. For a brief second…some sanity returned. They were now in their own, self-contained universe, where some semblance of order still existed. Marlene's head snapped back, and she looked to see what had happened. Denzel and Azure had thrown the four kids into the back. There were no seats. They had been emptied for moving. Luckily, the van was empty of cargo for now. The two boys were sprawled out against the front seats.

Marlene looked over to Vincent. As she did…she saw forms beginning to leap over the flames. They were coming forward. Reaching the car…

Her hand shot out and hit the door lock.

Vincent himself was still panting. His eyes were half shut. However…he still had his gun butt out. He reached over now and smashed it down with what looked like a strain on the hub of the steering wheel. The cheap plastic covering shattered in response. He hit it again, and this time a large chunk came off from the bottom…exposing wires.

The gun clattered to the ground, out of Vincent's hand. He grunted, and leaned over and put his fingers up against the wires. He laced his digits under them and ripped. As he did, he shoved his whole body forward, seeming to use his own weight against them…and toppled into the space between the seats. His finger pulled and yanked out all of the wires while he did so. He collapsed a moment later, putting his arms out to brace him.

"…Tie red to green…then touch blue and yellow…"

Marlene's eyes widened. She realized what he was doing. He was telling her to hotwire the car…and drive it out of there. Gaping in surprise, she turned to him. "What? No, I ca-"

The girl cut herself off. Now that Vincent was down on his belly…she saw his back. Until now, she hadn't taken a good look at it, but now that he was like this and his cape slid partially out of the way, she realized that he had deep lacerations in it. Much deeper and bleeding more than the ones in front. They were serious injuries…enough to debilitate any of them. Yet Vincent had just done everything while still having these serious wounds. What more, she began to realize for the first time how exhausted he was. She didn't know fully yet, but he had been endlessly running and fighting for the past four hours. Now he was almost totally spent. He had used the last of his reserves to get them in the car…

Marlene was silent for a second. She looked up and to the others. Denzel and Azure had now turned back and were looking at her. They seemed to realize the truth too. He couldn't get them any farther. Now…they were on their own. They had to take it from here. They didn't even know what was going on, or what had just happened for certain. But now, they were in the midst of a situation in certain death, and for the first time in their lives…their own fates were entirely in their own hands.

For a moment, the three were frozen solid. Youthful innocence made them freeze and feel like helpless children. However…it didn't last. They realized what had to be done. And they were children of people who had made their own destinies and ways in the world for years. Now it was their turn. While Denzel and Azure had craved this day for years, even Marlene had realized for years that she had to be strong and independent like Aerith and Tifa one day…

Because of that, the girl closed her mouth, lowered her eyes somewhat, and swallowed. Quivering, unsure of herself, and trying to stay calm…she turned back forward toward the steering wheel and looked for the wires. "Alright…"

Marlene was too young to have a license. But Tifa had a habit of renting trucks and having her over. Occasionally, she let her drive around the block. She had done it…four…maybe five times. It was hardly a graduated license, but it made her the only one with experience. That was why Vincent had put her there. She had to be the one to drive them out of there.

Denzel and Azure hesitated a bit longer themselves. But then, Azure swallowed, and then reached out and grabbed Vincent by the shoulders. A moment later, and he began to pull back, dragging him out of the front and more toward the flat of the backside. A second later…and the people arrived. They immediately started to pound on the sides of the van. They yelled and shouted at those inside.

"Get out of there!"

"Listen to the call and you can live!"

"What was it…red and blue…?" Marlene began to think aloud.

"Red and green!" Azure shouted back as he finished dragging Vincent back.

Denzel himself paused a bit longer, but then decided to act as well. With some unease, yet eventual resolution, he reached out and grasped the handle of Vincent's gun. He pulled it forward, beginning to get it out of the man's grasp…

It tightened at the last moment. Denzel froze for a second and paled, like a man caught robbing a corpse. He looked down…and saw that Vincent's eyes had opened again for just a moment, just long enough to stare at him hard.

"…Nine bullets…three shots." Was the only reply he heard. "…Don't get antsy."

The grip released, and the gun went back into Denzel's arms. The boy stared back a moment longer, honestly surprised. It seemed that Vincent had let him have it. But then, he swallowed and got his bearings. Twisting the gun in front of him and holding it with both hands, for it was large enough for that, he got up and began to move forward toward the front seat.

The new arrival gave Marlene a bit more confidence. Her fingers were fumbling everywhere. However…she finally managed to force them to grip the ends of the wires. There wasn't much "naked" wire to work with…but she didn't have time to scrape them. Instead, she touched the ends and quickly tied them closed.

_Krish._

"AH!"

Marlene let out a yelp and leaned back, snapping back into her seat. She went as white as a ghost. To her right…the glass windshield had suddenly turned into cobwebs. Someone tried to break the window. They weren't stopping, however. The other windows soon began to break as well. A cane shot in front of the front windshield and cracked the passenger side view. Marlene's own view had several cracks.

Denzel had just finished inching into the seat when he jumped. His eyes, wide with panic, turned and looked around him. Shadows were everywhere outside now. The car was beginning to rock. They were going to flip it if they couldn't break in. Windows continued to break as the sides began to dent. The kids in the back began to cry out again. The boy himself turned to Marlene's side…and saw another person coming up with a crowbar. Marlene was still stunned, but was slowly leaning back. The youth held…but then cocked the gun and aimed it for the window.

He stopped short of pulling the trigger. To do so would mean he would have to kill someone… And not a bad guy or monster…but some person from the neighborhood…

His grip shook. He swallowed.

"…Marlene! Start the car now!"

Desperate as this cry was, it shook the girl out of it. She turned to Denzel, but then back to the wheel. She hesitated a moment later…but then reached down and grabbed for the blue and yellow wires. She touched them together. A moment later, she let out another cry and dropped them. They sparked for a moment. She sighed in response, feeling her heart calm down slightly, and yelled at herself mentally for being so flighty and dumb. Her trembling fingers reached out a moment later, slowly grasped the wires, and began to touch…

_BLAM._

A rifle bullet tore through the windshield, zinged through the interior of the car, and tore out through the metal door in the back. Marlene screamed and let the wires fall again. The car rocked more violently than ever. The little kids froze in terror. Azure himself looked up and gaped. Denzel slid back into his seat, his mouth hanging open. They hadn't even seen that shot coming.

Marlene had just recovered from the first when she screamed again…this time as the hook of a crowbar tore through the window next to her. One yank later, and pieces of glass were raked out. The faces of insane madmen were revealed. Teeth gnashing were heard. Weapons waving were seen. A large man, face stretched and wild, threw his crowbar aside and glared at the passengers.

The girl had no time. She reached out and seized the blue and yellow wires again, this time with one hand. She slid her fingers along it and touched the bare ends. This time, she got a shock herself. But she didn't care. She kept touching it. The starter sputtered.

Giving a bestial yell, the large man's hand shot in and seized her by one sleeve of her shirt.

Marlene screamed one more time…and out of sheer shock mashed on the gas.

The engine flared to life and took off.

Bodies were scattered everywhere in front of her. Some were mowed down and vanished underneath the car. Others went flying in other directions. They disappeared soon, and after they were gone came the flames. They rolled up to the car and chased away the man's hand. As it came…it ripped the sleeve free of Marlene's shirt…but then was gone. Instead…fire lapped inside the now open window for a brief moment. Yet that was gone soon as well. Then came more bodies. But there was no stopping now. Nearly apoplectic, Marlene only understood one thing at the moment…drive. Her foot mashed down the petal. The people were soon gone as well. And she couldn't care about them at that point. She couldn't care about anything…not even after the flames were gone and the people were gone…and suddenly she found herself tearing down a regular street. Open. Free.

Two blocks shot by. Things thumped underneath the car as she drove, but then disengaged. Soon the ride was smooth. Air rushed in through the holes and cracks. Marlene's hair flew back through the open window. Only when she shot past the third intersection did Marlene's senses come back. Her hand left the gas pedal. The car continued to rush forward. When it did…the girl shifted her foot over to the brake and slammed. Soon, she and everyone else was nearly thrown forward and into the front area. Her own body wrenched painfully forward and over the hard wheel. However, that made her ease off the brake in response, and so she sank back a moment later. Her arms wildly flew out and grasped the wheel. There she braced herself and braked abruptly again. This time…she didn't stop until they had fully halted.

Once the inertia was gone, she leaned back into her seat. Her eyes were wide. She looked nearly catatonic.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod…" She began to drone.

Marlene continued to do so for what had to be a good minute. Everything that had just happened began to roll into her brain like a flood smashing against a flimsy dam. Most of all…what had happened in the last few moments. She had nearly been grabbed…and then she smashed on the gas. Then came the bodies… Off to one side…under the car…the flames…the thumping… Those had been people. She had to have run down at least a dozen people. Crazy people. People who kept running even when they were blown apart…or on fire and screaming…wanting your blood…to tear you apart…to kill even your own children…

A hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"…Marlene."

It snapped her out of it. Not entirely, but it made her focus off of what she was thinking of. Off of the sound of her heart racing and her breath coming out in short gasps. A voice. Azure.

"…Marlene…just calm down."

The girl swallowed. She breathed long and slow, as if she was cold.

"I…I killed them." She spoke. "I ran them down. I ran them down. I ran them…"

"Marlene…we're not clear yet."

The voice was calm. Balanced. Controlled. The voice of reason. Rationality.

"Azure…I…I…"

"They're still coming, Marlene. You have to drive."

The girl swallowed. She breathed a bit slower. When she did…and when she heard this voice…some bits of reason started to come back. They were crazy. They were going to tear them apart. They had to get out. Nothing was going to get them out of the way of that car. It had to be them or the survivors of the Refuge of the Ancients' play room. She had to get them clear.

Slowly and surely…Marlene began to put away all of the horrors she had seen. Shove them to one side of her brain. She tried to focus on survival. Adrenaline. Fight or flight. And right now, it dictated that they had to get clear. There was silence now. A moment of peace. Rationality. Even the younger kids were staying quiet for the moment. Because of that, she had time to think. She looked up and around.

The buildings around her were beginning to come alive. Once again…the windows and doors were beginning to break. In the rear view window, far down the street…people were running toward them.

Time to go.

"Alright…we're leaving." She stated.

A moment later, and Marlene put on the gas. Her hands locked on the wheel. The car jerked once, but then began to move forward again.

* * *

Denzel let out something of a sigh, now that they were in motion again. He let the cold barrel of Cerberus rest against him. He felt safer now… Calmer. He had time to think… 

It was natural that it didn't last long.

"…What's going on, big brother?" He heard from the back. It was Crain's voice, and laced with tears. "Why is everyone acting like this? What happened to mom?"

"I don't know, Crain." Denzel answered back, perhaps a bit too brusquely. But he didn't want to be asked a question he'd like to know the answer to himself. "But we need to get away from here. We need to get away now."

"What about mom and dad?" He asked…a bit more nervous. "They're still back there…"

"Mom and dad can take care of themselves." Crain answered back. Truth be told…he didn't want to be around mom and dad right now. Whatever had driven the people in the neighborhood crazy had hit them too. He saw that much… Whatever it was, it had to be something with the siren. That had done it…

"I want mom…"

Denzel's train of thought was cut off. A new tear-laced voice had spoken.

"I want to go to mom…" Simoa's voice continued. "I want to see mom… Why isn't she here?"

Denzel didn't know what to answer. Right now, he knew that telling them what had happened to Aerith wasn't for the best. He was struggling hard to keep himself balanced right now. If they heard that too…

"Where's mom? I want mom!" Samoa joined in. Their voices were becoming more tear laden.

"…You can't see Aerith right now." Denzel was only able to lamely put out…too roughly. His irritation was growing.

"I wanna see my mommy!" Simoa suddenly burst out, now really getting into tears. "I wanna see her!"

"Where's mommy? I want my mommy!"

Denzel's teeth clenched. His eyes closed as his hands clenched.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Outright sobs now.

"Where's mommy? Mommy!"

Abruptly, Denzel's head snapped around behind them.

_"Shut up about your damn mommy!"_

Despite her driving, and the fact that Marlene was acting like looking away would mean instant death, the girl snapped to the boy at that. "Denzel!"

The car went silent. Both Samoa and Simoa clammed up immediately, out of fear rather than a relief of sadness. They forced their lips shut, but continued to stare at Denzel with tear-soaked faces and whimpered. Crain himself had shot back on hearing his brother talking like that, and now looked on the verge of tears as well. The one student they had grabbed looked moments from busting out now, surrounded by strangers and people he didn't know. Azure stared at him incredulously.

Denzel bit down a moment. He was about to yell out in anger again…but then his senses came back. He realized what he had just done. He swallowed, and then bowed his head and turned around. "…Sorry." He lamely put out…far too little, far too late. He hesitated, but then turned back to the kids. "Guys…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I'm just…I'm-"

It was no use. Every word Denzel said now looked like it would make the kids break a bit more. Denzel saw this…and it only served to irritate him more. He might have lost it and yelled at them to stop crying in another moment. But before he could, Azure ducked his head down and intervened by smiling and looking pleasant.

"Hey guys…it's alright." He spoke in a much quieter, more calming voice. "Denzel just lost his temper. Shh… Everything's going to be fine. It's just not safe here right now. Hey, hey, hey… Shh… We're going to go see your daddy, alright? We'll be with him very soon. Until then, how about I tell you a little story? Let's just go further in the back and I'll tell it. You can meet Mr. Valentine too…"

As Azure continued to talk in a much calmer, consoling voice, the children began to quiet down. His words weren't enough to totally allay their fears or sadness, but they were beginning to relax just enough to do as they were told. Slowly, they focused more of their attention on Azure, and then began to slowly slide back with him, farther away from the front.

Denzel bowed his head again as he looked forward. He felt like a real jerk. He knew what he had just done. He was scared and he took it out on the kids. Even if they were annoying, Cloud wouldn't have done anything like that. He would have calmed them down and taken care of everything. He wouldn't have yelled or lost his temper. He knew enough to know that just made the situation worse…

Nevertheless, the car began to calm. Marlene herself was looking back at the road, and seeming to focus more on it. Denzel hesitated, but then began to look outside as well. The roads were mostly empty now. People had abandoned their cars. Most of the homes were clear too. Occasionally, as they went by, a building would burst open and people would try to come out to get them. That was still frightening. However…they were giving up now. Apparently they realized they couldn't chase them on foot. Yet there were other matters too. There were other mobs on the street…and they were tearing down other buildings, ones that looked shut up and probably sound proof… On one block…they were dragging three screaming people out of a basement entrance. Gunshots rang out every so often, audible even over the engine… The city had gone mad.

"Um…guys?"

Denzel looked up and over to Marlene when she said this. The girl was looking straight ahead and growing nervous.

"I'm almost to the end of this street. Where do I go, anyway?"

Denzel looked ahead. Sure enough, in just two blocks, the street terminated into a T intersection. However, Marlene raised a good question. Where did they go now?

Luckily…an answer croaked from Vincent's lips soon after.

"North… Kalm… Safe there…" A swallow soon after.

"Kalm?" Marlene echoed back. She looked up ahead uneasily. "Um…which way is that?"

Hearing this…Denzel immediately felt himself brighten. A chance to be useful. Quickly, he pointed to the left of the upcoming T intersection.

"When you reach the end of this road, turn left." He instructed. "I know the way around the city. I used to hang around a lot when I was younger, and Cloud took me around a lot on Fenrir."

"You sure?"

A nod. "Positive."

"Alright."

Soon they reached the turn. Marlene did her first bit of real driving then. She turned the corner. As she did, however, she put the brakes on so much that the car practically slowed to a stop before she fully completed it. Denzel realized the difference in turns between Marlene and Cloud almost immediately. He also saw that a few more of the psychos outside felt bold enough to try running the car again, slow as she went. However, as she made the turn, she soon sped up again, and left them behind.

"…Um, you should…try to drive the turns faster…"

"Do you want to drive?"

"…No…"

"I'm trying to be safe."

"You can be a bit faster and still be safe."

"I'm scared out of my mind, Denzel. I'll drive how I want."

"Fine…just go. Turn right up ahead."

Marlene let out an exhale in response, and a few moments later made the turn. It was a bit faster this time, but still so slow that a few of the mad people running on the streets began to come toward them. Soon they turned out and were driving once again.

"Alright, in four blocks, make another right." Denzel announced.

"Alright…" Marlene answered back. For a few moments, the group in the car was quiet. Only Azure's own quiet voice and the kids in the back continued to speak, although they were rather quiet as well. Around them, the carnage and chaos continued to unfold. The ground shook slightly at one point, and Denzel looked out and over the skyline of the city. As people below his line of vision continued to rampage, he saw a cloud of black shoot into the sky, accenting a fireball behind it. He swallowed a bit, and then looked back ahead.

"What's going on?"

"Whatever was on that siren, Denzel…" Marlene answered. "It…it did something to whoever listened to it…"

"But who did it?" Denzel answered. "And why didn't it do anything to Vincent? Watch it, don't miss the turn."

"Oops! Sorry!"

The car made a bit of a sharp twist. Denzel was thrown into his own window. He grimaced uncomfortably. Well, it was his own fault. He wanted her to take the turns faster… And as he turned onto this new street, he realized that he still wanted her too. No sooner had she evened them out than he got a good look up ahead. This one was worse. Several buildings were being broken into by small mobs. Gunshots were ringing out. Needless to say…Marlene soon put on more gas and sent them forward faster than before. Denzel himself raised Vincent's gun.

"…Alright, just turn left up at that stop light." Denzel answered. "Then turn right again at the next intersection. That's the highway that takes you to the Kalm exit."

Marlene nodded. "Right."

Denzel looked outside afterward, keeping an eye on things. A car up ahead was on the other side of the road. It was gutted and burning… Needless to say, Marlene went by it rather quickly. He kept a lookout for anything else. No one came, however. The mobs were ignoring them at this point. They were moving too fast. The only time they even paid them any mind was when the car reached the stop light. Marlene slowed there, not to turn but to halt because it was red. However, she soon realized what she was doing, and with a gasp and an apology put the gas on again. Soon they were making another sharp turn and driving down the new road.

Up ahead was a road meant more for high speed traffic between cities, not for moving around town. It was four lanes on either side, and had a lack of crazy people running around near it. What more, Denzel saw no cars were on it. More relief for him. Last but not least, Marlene made a quick turn onto it. Not sharp and dangerous this time, but still fast and wide enough to get into the third lane after overshooting the first two. At any rate, they lost little speed, and were soon accelerating again. Now with a wider, more open road, Marlene really began to drive.

Denzel looked around in front of him down the highway. Most cars were gone now. The few that were still there looked abandoned. Their drivers must have run out to help attack with the rest of the mobs. Another explosion, more distant, went off, but it no longer mattered. They were driving away from it.

Denzel pointed. "Alright…in about three miles, there's going to be the Kalm exit. Once we take that we'll be headed into a tunnel and out of the city. Keep your eyes open."

"Alright." Marlene answered, beginning to sound like she had more relief on her voice.

Denzel felt relief as well. They were nearly home free. He leaned back into his own chair a bit and let out a sigh, feeling some measure of relief. Marlene could see the stopped cars enough to get out of their way. There weren't any crazies down this road. And with only three miles to go at this speed, no one could catch them on foot anyway… The boy began to think they might be safe.

That feeling disappeared 2 seconds later…when they began to hear something behind them.

A police siren.

Marlene stiffened, nearly looking around behind her. However, at the last moment, she had enough clarity of mind to look to the rear view window instead. Denzel, on his part, looked behind him. He saw through the semi-smashed back windows a new sight to fill him with fear. Three police cars, each one with sirens on, were driving down the highway for them. They moved as one in a single line, shifting only to avoid the periodic abandoned car on the road. But seeing as most of the abandoned cars were in the slow lane, they didn't have to do much. They were driving fast…rapidly closing the distance between themselves and the van.

"…Police?" Marlene spoke up in a confused voice. "But…they can't be after us… I mean…look at everything going on…"

"I don't think they're the police." Denzel immediately answered. Marlene's mind must have been so panicked she wasn't realizing the obviousness. Some of the police had to have heard the siren as well, especially if it was an emergency broadcast. They probably all had. And it was naïve to think that if whatever had possessed the people wasn't "weak" enough to limit intelligence…that some people would still be driving, and would try to stop any motorists like themselves… The boy began to pick up the gun again. "Drive as fast as you can." He flatly ordered.

Marlene swallowed. "…Alright. I'm going."

However, there wasn't much improvement over the next few seconds. Marlene hadn't been stupid or blind. She realized that the mobs around them might eventually find a way to stop them even in the van. She had already been close to flooring it. Only the periodic cars stopped her. But now that they were being chased, she went the rest of the way. Yet the car didn't accelerate much faster. Soon it stopped increasing speed all together. The three police cars continued to close. If anything…they were doing so faster than before.

"I said drive as fast as you can!"

"This _is_ as fast as I can!" Marlene yelled back. "It won't go any faster!"

Two abandoned cars loomed up ahead as the three police continued to get nearer and nearer. Marlene drove in between them, slipping into a single lane space. As she did, the other two police were forced to break off and fall back to avoid it. But the one ahead continued to accelerate…and rushed forward to overtake the van. A moment later, and the front of its grill was headed straight for the back of the car…

A crunch sound went out as the back of the van abruptly smashed inward. Screaming again, the kids fled from the back. Azure quickly got up as well, running forward just enough to get to Vincent's legs, and then quickly seized them and yanked them back. As he did, parts of the doors warped and twisted. Pieces of them fell off as the car that had rammed them came back, and light began to gleam in through the now dented backside of the car. A moment later…and the car rammed forward again. Once more, it smashed into the back. This time, even more of the back was thrown in. The rear of the van actually lifted somewhat, sending the kids and Marlene into greater panic. When it pulled back this time, one of the doors snapped out and flew open. Wind soon tore through the inside of the car as the back was exposed. The smell of fuel and asphalt suddenly smacked the nostrils of the passengers as they watched the road outside fly by, and could hear the roar of the police car engine. Its own grill was dented and the hood warping, but it was hardly enough to stop it. Like an angry bull, it was readying to charge again.

Denzel's eyes widened…but he realized he had to act now. Quickly, he lunged out of the front seat and into the same space that Vincent had been a moment earlier. He raised the barrel of the Cerberus and aimed forward for the pursuing car, pointing the barrel toward that now empty space covering the back. For a moment…his gaze went to the driver. He thought of it for a few seconds…but ultimately he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill yet. Instead, he aimed at the same griddle, and pulled the trigger.

The recoil was vicious. The gun went slamming back into Denzel's sternum…hard. He flew back a bit himself and cried out in pain as the barrel struck his chest. His face twisted into agony, and he immediately wondered how Vincent was able to shoot this with only one hand as he grit his teeth in misery. Yet somehow, he was able to crack his eyes open again. He already felt a dark bruise forming against his chest, but he couldn't worry about that. He looked to the car instead.

Panic immediately gripped him. Denzel might have expected the car to go careening out of control and fly off the road like in the movies. Instead…the car still came. The bullets, powerful as they had been, had barely hurt the vehicle. All that even indicated that Denzel had shot at all was a small circle of three holes just off center of the main grill. The car, unaffected, rushed forward and smashed into the car again. Once more, the van surged up. This time, it lifted about a foot off the ground as the cop car drove itself deep and under it. The rear wheels were taken up and off the road…and as a result they lost speed dramatically. The children ran back and grabbed Azure, screaming again. The youth himself yanked back on Vincent more, barely having his hair go out onto their pursuer.

With an angry growl, the police car yanked back. It fought a bit this time, and when it did pull back, the other door and the bumper was yanked with it. They fell to the road and were run over by the cop car as it continued to pull back, fully disengaging itself from the van. That vehicle was rather damaged now, but it was still coming as angrily as before. It was willing to destroy itself to run them off the road. The van itself slammed back down on the road and fishtailed a moment. Rubber burned before the tires locked and began to push it forward again. However…the brief pause was all that was needed for the other two police cars to come forward and flank their partner. They were bracing themselves for another charge.

Denzel swallowed. They were in deep trouble now. Another hit like that would make Marlene lose enough speed to be flanked by the other two…assuming one of them didn't die in the process. He had to do something. There was nothing else…he had to shoot the driver. Regretful, but also wanting to live, the boy uneasily grimaced as he raised the gun again, beginning to aim it for the police officer behind the wheel…

But as he did…he caught something. The police car's right tire was flapping and thumping. The last charge forward had blown it out when it ran over the debris from their van. Now, half of the front was sagging as the car continued to come forward. He realized he didn't have to shoot the driver. A moment later, and he picked a new target. As the cop car accelerated again, moving to charge once more…Denzel shifted the barrel over to the left front tire. He braced himself as best he could, lined up the shot as best as possible, and fired.

The recoil still sent his head flipping back with his upper body, and he did get a bit of a blow from it. His aim also wasn't as good as Vincent's, and this was a smaller target. But with three large bullets…he could afford to miss a little. One of the shots struck the tire, and immediately it obliterated. The front of the police car went smashing down onto the road. Metal shrapnel flew everywhere along with sparks, lots of them showering into the back of the van. The kids covered their heads. Azure winced as he dragged Vincent back even more, beginning to crush his legs up against him. However…it worked. The car struggled to keep accelerating, but it was no use. Instead, its front end sagged on the ground and acted as a pivot point as its own rear tires fishtailed. It rapidly lost speed and fell back, left as a smoldering wreck.

Unfortunately, its flailing didn't hurt its friends. Both cars swerved to the side when it went wild, and stayed far away from it as it fell away and back. Once that happened, however…both cars put on full speed. Denzel watched them for a moment…and then gaped at what was happening. They both rushed forward at diagonal, opposite angles. They were going to smash into the sides of the van.

The young man felt his stomach sink.

"Everyone! Hang o-"

A much larger crunch suddenly rang out as the two cars impacted. Now, both sides of the back of the van impacted inward. That wasn't all. Marlene gave another cry as the vehicle spiraled out of control. As the two cars backed up again, their own vehicle began to waver to the left and right. The girl grit her teeth and held the wheel as hard as she could, but this time it wouldn't even out.

The boy along with the rest of the passengers were flung around inside the car like beans in a tin can. However, on their retreat, Denzel managed to recover. Gripping the gun tight, he stumbled up to his feet. The car was shaking now, and was beginning to make a whining noise. Yet still, he managed to get up and move to his former seat. He quickly got into it and began to make for the window. His own was broken, so he reached out with the gun barrel and began to hit it, moving to knock more of the glass out. The cars were making a good move. They weren't right behind him, so they weren't presenting a target. He had to do it out of…

Another crunch rocked the car violently. Denzel had barely managed to clear the glass when everything was shaken again. The sides of the car dented inward again, and as the pursuers backed up the sounds of metal pieces dripping alongside the road became audible. Now, the car was not only wavering and getting louder in its noise, but it was also dropping in speed. Shocked as he was, and growing afraid again, Denzel forced himself back up and out of his seat, and stuck his head out the window. As he did, he looked behind him to the rear.

Yet more fears awaited him. The two police cars were still there. Far behind them, however, about a half mile away…were another five. If that wasn't enough, he saw something round the edge of a roadside skyscraper and begin to sweep down on them. A helicopter. Another joined it from the opposite side later. Both began to move in on them while the cars below prepared to ram the van again.

Clearly nervous and growing scared, Denzel looked ahead of them. A sign shot overhead. "Kalm Exit: ¾ mile." However, that might as well have been a hundred miles away. They'd be overtaken before then. He turned back forward again and looked to the cars. Specifically, he looked to the car that was on his own side. He realized that shooting the wheel wouldn't do much good that time. They'd still have another. And even if they didn't, there was the other car, the rest of the police, and the helicopters that were closing on them fast. He realized he had three bullets left…one shot for Cerberus. He couldn't beat them all with one shot…

Then he had to delay them. Wasn't that the kind of strategy Cloud or Ragnar would use? Denzel knew that there was a tunnel between here and Kalm. If they could make it that far, they'd be safe from the helicopters at least. But that had to be another mile, taking into account the exit distance and the open space beyond. He had one shot… What could he do with that?

_Right wheel…_

Denzel, in the midst of his fear and panic…suddenly raised his head. "Huh…?" He found himself voicing aloud. Luckily, there was so much chaos that no one noticed him.

_Right wheel…_ He heard. Or rather…he thought he heard. He supposed he could have imagined it, as faint as the sudden voice in his head spoke. But why would he imagine it? The sound of some old man…but one who sounded very wise…suddenly speaking in his brain? _Shoot…just as they accelerate to hit you…_

The young man froze in puzzlement. What was going on? However, even as he did…he looked out and saw his opponent again. He saw what the suggestion meant…what it could lead to. It made sense…it might work. With that in mind, he no longer cared where the voice came from. He decided to act on the advice. Tightening his grip again, Denzel raised the weapon once more and took aim. This time, he had to do it hanging outside a window. The sounds of engines, helicopter blades, grinding, and the wind smacking against his face were all distractions. It was hard to keep the gun steady from this angle too. But he knew he had to do it. He waited just a precious second longer to get a good aim…or as best as he could manage. A moment later…and the cars behind him accelerated again. They were coming to ram. Saying a prayer and bracing for the recoil…Denzel cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.

The shots sailed through the air…two of them smashing into the right tire of the car to the van's left. It disintegrated immediately. For a moment, that end of the car, a front wheel drive model, was suspended on midair, and all force suddenly went into the other tire, which had been turning it inward to ram. The power that went into it was too much…and the car abruptly swung inward far too much as well. It spun out of control, almost turning the car 90 degrees to its side as it continued to rush forward in its attempted ram. Instead, it undershot the van completely…and sailed forward at full speed to smash into the side of its partner.

The other car had been trying to turn in, and now it found itself grinding against the side of the other police car. The result made it roll around the front, grinding its own side and its partner's front at the same time. Both mad drivers continued to push, unable to pick up on what had changed, and ground themselves into each other more and more as they turned horizontal. When they did…they pushed themselves more out into traffic, and away from the van. Suddenly, both were falling behind, and turning out to block two of the lanes entirely. As they fell behind, the helicopters swooped down and over them, moving into their spots. But the pursuing cop cars were doing so too closely. The sounds of squealing brakes went out as they struggled to drift turn away from them…not to stop but to get around. But they were too slow. A moment later, and two of the cars impacted near full speed into the new blockade. Glass and metal exploded into the air. Two more rotated a full 90 degrees as well before impacting. Only the fifth managed to turn itself full away, but it had to come to a complete stop and rotate so much that its rear was now aimed toward the blockade. As it faded, Denzel just caught it putting on the acceleration again, burning rubber and sending up smoke, as it sped up to get around the blockade and keep chasing. But that was all he saw. It was all but lost now.

Denzel actually smiled. He couldn't believe it. He had done it. He had taken both out along with four others with a single shot. Yet again, his enthusiasm was short lived. Even as he thought of giving a victory shout…the two helicopters behind him clicked. He looked up and back, and saw what was happening.

Both helicopters were police models, but those themselves were refurbished from Shinra Inc. As such…they were armed with machine guns. And now, both were aiming their weapons at the fleeing car.

Seeing this, Denzel realized his moment was over. Now was time to take cover. Immediately, he yanked himself back in and hunched down in the front. "Everyone! Duck!"

This time, everyone had a fair enough warning to throw themselves down and put their hands over their heads.

A moment later…and bullets sprayed the inside of the car. Holes of light were ripped through the ceiling as bits of the seats exploded into industrial foam. Some of the shots made it down to the metal floor beneath, and ripped out pieces around the huddled people. Yet through some miracle…they weren't hit. Maybe it was because the pilots weren't able to track a moving target as easily as it looked. Maybe it had something to do with the physics of attempting the gesture. But for whatever reason, somehow they managed to evade the spray of gunfire for a few precious seconds. Then it abruptly cut off.

Denzel, despite his better judgement, risked looking up. As a result, he was soon swerved in one direction sharply. His head was thrown to one side, almost outside of the broken window. But even as this happened, he managed to look behind him. He saw that the helicopters abruptly pulled up to avoid a sign strattling the road. It was the exit sign. Denzel realized this, and snapped back around to Marlene. The girl was hunched and wincing, but still driving. And their car, riddled and losing speed as it was, still managed a good fifty miles an hour as it got onto the exit ramp. Just ahead and closing quickly was the exit tunnel. Seeing this, Denzel looked back over to the helicopters. They had managed to clear the sign now, and were swooping back down again. The barrels once more trained on the car. A second later, and shots began to ring out…

Only about five, all misses, were squeezed off before the helicopters pulled up abruptly. A moment later, and they, the skyline, and the sky itself vanished as a curved concrete ceiling with yellow light fixtures replaced it. They were in the tunnel.

"Yes!" Denzel cried as he rose the rest of the way out of the seat, pumping a fist in the air. "We made it!"

Azure snapped up a second later, and so did the rest of the kids. They looked outside the open door in the back, and saw that the helicopters had helplessly turned and gone back. The road behind them was now clear. Even the remaining police car seemed to have given up the chase as they went further and further into the tunnel.

Azure sighed in relief and leaned back. "Thank God… I don't think we could have taken much more of that…"

"Now I want to know what the hell that was all about in the first place." Denzel answered. "I mean…what's going on out there anyway? Did this have to do with that thing that attacked? Or those guys at the airport?"

"Um…guys?"

Denzel and Azure together broke off their talk and turned to Marlene. They noticed that the girl was still cringing…and didn't look that good. Her eyes were focused ahead, so Denzel looked to see the problem.

"…I don't think we're clear just yet…"

Denzel felt his enthusiasm sink once again.

The people might have been acting crazy, but he was learning more all the time that they weren't stupid. Racing up ahead was the exit to the tunnel. Beyond it lay a straight road to calm through the countryside. Yet before that lay something else.

Several cars had been turned perpendicular to the road at the exit. They were moving out to either side, creating a blockade. Along with them were several drivers. Each one held bludgeoning weapons, but seemed to be focused on cutting off the escape at the moment. Already, the line was at least a car thick. Another car was backing in toward the one open space already, to make the blockade two cars thick. And they were headed right for it…

The fear returned to Denzel in an instant. Now, freedom was finally in their grasp…but it had been snatched away completely. The car wasn't going any faster than 50. There was no way it could ram this barricade. And even if it could and punch through…it would total what was left of the van. There were miles until Kalm, and between here and there they would easily be overtaken. And even if Marlene was some sort of crazy stunt driver and knew how to prop the car up on two wheels and roll through…it wouldn't mean a thing. The car was too top heavy and it would roll over. Even if it didn't, they'd wreck whatever was left. They had to have flats on the rear end by now…

Now that they were coming, the rest of the people were turning away from making the blockade and turned fully to the van. They began to brandish their homemade weapons, ready to beat the car down as soon as it stopped.

Marlene was beginning to tremble. "What…what do I do?"

Denzel didn't have an answer. He could only gape in front of him and wonder what it was that any of them could do…

"Denzel! Give me the gun!"

The boy snapped his head to this, and was just in time to see Azure thrust his body forward into the space between the seats. His face was earnest and eager, but it also looked like he had a plan. Seeing that, Denzel didn't hesitate. He passed Cerberus over to Azure. The boy took it and quickly reached for the side. A moment later, and he popped out the materia orb that Vincent had within it. He aimed it in front of him soon after, pointing it at the barricade, and then turned to Marlene.

"Drive! Full speed! Right for the opening!"

Marlene risked an incredulous look at him. "At the opening?"

"I'm going to hit the car behind it with a fire spell! Drive through the flames! We've done it once already!"

"Azure, you never fired a materia orb before!" Denzel protested a second later, his own face turning to confusion.

Azure turned to him, and gave a shrug. "No time like now to learn. We don't have any other choice."

Denzel hesitated at that…realizing that Azure was telling the truth. And between them all, he had the best chance of being able to actually use it. He was definitely the strongest in terms of spirit, and materia orbs were fairly "user friendly". With that in mind, he only swallowed and looked back ahead. Azure turned his own face ahead soon after, and aimed the weapon at the rapidly closing barricade.

Marlene nudged the wheel. The car was still wobbling. The sound was getting worse. It looked like something was going to break really soon. But now, she was headed at full throttle for the opening. The crazies seemed to realize that. The people didn't move, but the car began to back up faster, no longer being careful about smashing into the other cars. However, it did so too much. It rotated too quickly and ended up grinding itself into the car to its side. The opening stayed clear, and as the car moved out from its mistake and moved to try again, it looked as if the van might just beat it there.

Azure exhaled…and prepared to fire. They were less than twenty yards.

Denzel watched and felt a million things run through his head. He could see the other car coming in and stopping them. He could see only half of it coming and causing the fan to flip. He could see the fire blast not coming at all and his body flying through the windshield as the van smashed into the barricade. He could see the fire blast hitting the car and only setting it aflame, allowing them to crash into it and throw him into the fire. He could see the fire blast blowing up the car, and sending a deluge of wreckage and flaming debris through the windshield to bury the passengers inside, frying them all. Through all of that…the scene of the car being blown up and out of the way and Marlene twisting the van through the rapidly closing opening wasn't even a remote snippit of a possibility.

The boy swallowed as it came to ten yards…then five. Some of the people tried to jump again…and were mowed down. The other car accelerated, trying to drive itself in and pinch the van as it rolled through. Denzel wished he had buckled his safety belt. Azure grit his teeth and groaned, and the orb in front of him began to shimmer. It was like seeing a fuse burn out the last few fibers…

Then, the world exploded into true total chaos as a bloody body smashed the windshield, a fiery eruption rocketed, and the van shook like an earthquake as metal ground against metal.

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: All hail Vincent Valentine! The Deux Ex Machina!

And if you don't like it... :P

And no, I didn't cut this chapter off by accident. This is the end of it. I decided to leave their fate ambiguous for the time being. Cue my evil laugh.


	14. Irresistable Forces

"…I shouldn't have left. This wouldn't have happened if I'd have spent more time at home…"

"Ragnar…just stop." Was all that Shalua could answer.

The brusqueness of how quickly and roughly she had responded to that statement actually made the man turn to her for a moment. Shalua, however, kept looking ahead, off of the airfield and toward the sea. She wouldn't bother to explain why she had said that. She didn't fully understand herself…except for the fact that what Ragnar said sounded a lot like what she had told herself years ago. And now, here was where she found herself.

The only flesh and blood she had left in the world was standing five feet from her and hated her.

Ragnar hadn't been able to give them the bad news, or any news for that matter, for some time. Shortly after dropping the phone, he collapsed to his knees as well. That was enough to make them realized that something was wrong. Shalua went up to him as he continued to stare off into space, and finally he told them what had happened back in Midgar. Things that had to be espers had arrived…and one of them had swallowed Aerith whole. It was something as abrupt and shocking as it was grotesque. Shalua herself could hardly believe it had happened, not after seeing her that one night. However, it only served to show that whoever this Diablos was, he wasn't wasting much time. Things were getting worse.

It took Ragnar a while to recover, but even when he managed to leave and walk absent-mindedly to the car, Shalua and Rex found themselves carrying the case with the essences to it. The entire ride from the site to Gateway was quiet. He stared out the window silently as the landscape rolled by. Shalua could hardly blame him. After what he had heard…it brought back memories of how she reacted when she saw Shelke was gone that one morning. Only this was something far worse… At least she had only been afraid that she was dead or worse…she didn't know it for a fact. And to think one of these esper things _ate_ her…

Rex was doing the worst out of all of them, having had all of this information thrown on him at once. He still looked in a state of semi-shock, unusually wide-eyed and blank. He had kind of fallen into this whole mess by mistake, and now he was stuck with the rest of them. Shelke hadn't improved much either. She continued to stare blankly out at everything…and hadn't said a word to Shalua alone since they had their confrontation in the lab. She was going along for now at least. After all…she still had a common interest. There were only nine hours left after all of the day's events to get to a place to recharge. Unfortunately…that looked like it was the only thing uniting her to the rest of them.

Quetzacoatl wasn't with them. None of them were sure where she was exactly, but she couldn't very well accompany them to the field or on the ship. She had to follow them from a distance. Sadly, she had little to offer them as far as information or help. For now, she was sort of "playing this by ear" like the rest of them.

The car ride was over now. So was their time on the Northern Continent. The small group of four was huddled around Highwind Airways' airfield in Gateway, just a bit away from the ocean. They weren't in the hanger as before, but waiting out on the tarmac itself. After all, the office was closed for today. This was going to be a special charter flight. Apparently, Ragnar did have some old friends back south. And Shalua remembered the name of the ace pilot who sank the _Juggernaut_. Apparently he'd be giving them a personal lift out of there pretty soon. It had required some work, however. The pilot had already been making a flight to Junon to reroute another step on the network that had been disrupted by the attack from Edge, and by the time they finally managed to bounce around enough radios to get to him, he said it would be some time.

However, that time was almost done now. Shalua looked to her watch, and saw that it was only a minute until 2000 hours, which was the ETA that this "Mack Router" had given them.

So here they were, standing around their sole piece of luggage…the case. Ragnar took the head with Shalua and Shelke flanking their cargo, and far behind them standing Rex. Ragnar himself had his head bowed most of the time. He was quiet and dark, and the only words he was offering were things like what he had just said. He had turned back away from Shalua a moment after hearing her pseudo-chastise, and resumed his somber mood.

Then, finally, he looked up and inhaled.

"…Alright…we still have a job to do…so I have to focus on that." He said out loud. Shalua and Rex looked to this, but neither of them were sure if Ragnar was directing the comment toward them or himself. A moment later, he inhaled again, and exhaled once more. "Shelke…you know the entrance to DeepGround, right?"

"Yes." The girl answered.

"Fine. I'll call up Cloud, Tifa, Barret…hopefully Vincent…once we're in the air. Then we'll march on it. Would there be any problem with that?"

"In its prime, you would have needed an army to storm DeepGround." Shalua answered. "But there are limited recruits now. I'm not sure of how much power the espers or Diablos possess, however."

"We'll just have to hope for the best." Ragnar flatly answered. He looked up for a moment longer, but then pointed out to the sky. "…Here he is."

Shalua, Rex, and even Shelke this time looked up to see what Ragnar was pointing at. It was getting dark at this point, and all craft both airborne and naval were putting on their lights. And now, as they looked into the sky, they saw a different set of beacons far in the distance that were hovering low in the sky and rapidly getting closer. There were also too many for it to be a helicopter or small, personal craft. It could only belong to something larger, like a cargo plane or an airship. But based on how slow it was moving, the latter of the two seemed far more likely. It was also headed right for the tarmac.

"…Intriguing."

Shalua turned her head to the source of who said that…Shelke. The girl didn't look back. Her pale blue eyes continued to stare to the sky.

"…I've never seen a real airship before. Only our smaller helicopter landing craft. It's quite large."

Shalua stared for a moment at Shelke. She didn't look back…likely didn't even know Shalua was looking at her. But the older woman stared just the same. Did Shelke almost have a sound of…wonder? Some emotion that wasn't tied to death or discipline?

"…Alright." Ragnar spoke up after a moment, getting their attention back on him. "Let's get on and get out as soon as possible. We've got a lot of work to-"

Ragnar was cut off a moment later. What distracted him, however, soon distracted everyone else. Abruptly…the ground had begun to tremble under their feet. It had actually started while Ragnar was still speaking. However, at that point, it could have been mistaken for anything. Large machinery. Passing trucks. Maybe even the incoming airship. Yet it didn't take long for the trembling to become audible, and to go from a shake to a tremor. That tremor too began to pick up in intensity, and the sounds of the area around the field beginning to shake became more distinct. When that happened, Ragnar and the others forgot about the airship and looked to their feet.

"Oh great…an earthquake now?" Rex called out.

Shalua didn't pay attention to that. She struggled to keep both her real arm and fake one out to balance herself. She wasn't as steady as she used to be. However, the rattling continued to grow as the trembling did. Now it was shaking, and getting more violent. The woman began to stagger backward, losing her footing and forcing to shift to stay up.

That was when she noticed it. As she moved back, await from the center and the case…she realized that the trembling was getting milder. Just slightly, but enough to see it. Not only that, but she began to realize something else. As everyone else struggled to brace themselves and move back, she looked up and around the area. While parts of the tarmac were shaking…farther away they weren't doing so nearly as much. And down across the airfield on a road beyond, none of the drivers even seemed to realize what was happening. They were driving normally. The woman looked back down to her feet…and saw that the pavement beneath them was rattling so much that it was beginning to fracture. Yet it seemed to be doing so in a circular way…from almost right in the midst of them.

A moment later, and Ragnar, looking around on the ground, seemed to recognize it too. As the rumbling became a quake, both of them started to reach the same conclusion.

After all…the "Earth" essence was in the ones stolen...

Ragnar began to cry. "Everyone get-"

That was all he could say before he and the others, along with the case, were thrown a few feet into the air and flung away. At that moment, the ground in the center of them all exploded into an upheaval of concrete and dirt, erupting into the sky as if a giant land mine had been made beneath it. Shalua saw large pieces of stone flip up into the air as she was forced backward…but then her view went wild as her head snapped back. Her body spilled and fell to the ground, landing on her rear and sprawling out.

The landing was rather rough, and Shalua wasn't as young or "intact" as she used to be, especially after that morning. She gave a bit of a grunt, but then pushed back up on her hands and raised her upper body. She looked back up and out to see what had just happened…and what had come.

Fear soon began to ripple down her back as she saw the dust clear and the last bits of rock settle. Then, from the midst of where had been the center moments ago, a towering hulk began to rise. He was rippling in muscle from his head to his feet, and he was crowned with long, curved horns rising out from his forehead and arching back. His face was squashed and hideous, and in the darkness of the night his eyes gleamed like yellow beacons. As he rose, he revealed himself to be some sort of giant, monstrous bull-man with large, iron hands and fat hooves trampling against the ground. He turned his head and glared around him, grunting as he arose from the hole.

Shalua, shocked at the size and power of this thing, immediately began to slide back. She wasn't too good about getting up to her feet. Rex, perpendicular to her, was much the same way. Ragnar, however, managed to quickly rise and draw his sword, which instantly ignited into flame. She couldn't see it, but Shelke also got to her feet. She didn't move to fight, because she had no weapon, but she stood at the ready none the less.

The huge beast snorted. Based on the glowing of its eyes and its apparent power, Shalua immediately guessed that it was an esper.

"YOU SMELLY MONKEYS ALL LOOK THE SAME TO ME." His rather loud, deep, and earth-shaking voice rang out, vibrating the ground even farther than his arrival had. "WHICH ONE OF YOU IS RAGNAR?"

Shalua was quiet after hearing that. It wasn't just because the blasting voice was as intimidating as a living foghorn. A part of it was just plain keeping silent. She definitely wasn't planning on telling it who Ragnar was.

However, it soon turned out that point was irrelevant. A moment later…and Ragnar suddenly stepped toward it. He made a loud clicking with his feet, indicating his approach, and he brandished his sword in front of him. A moment later, and the beast snapped its head around to him.

"What do you want with me?" He challenged. His eyes were narrow and his demeanor cold. He wasn't intimidated.

The thing grunted again, and fully turned his body around. After that…he took a step forward. When he did, his massive body shook the entire ground. He knocked over what had to be at least 50 kilo pieces of plaster as he stepped out of the hole and beyond it, gaining another foot in height as he did so.

"YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, SHRIMP! THE BOSS SAYS WE'RE GOING TO BURY YOU RIGHT NEXT TO THE WOMAN!"

Ragnar's eyes raised on hearing this. It wasn't so much his demands…as how he ended. A moment later, and Shalua, beginning to use the pause to start to rise herself, saw his eyes narrow. The flame on his blade picked up. "Are you talking about Aerith, you bastard?" He shot back, his tone suddenly violent.

"AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT IF I AM, PEE WEE?" The beast snorted back, beginning to bend his knees and level his head and shoulders more at the smaller person. His own arms and hands began to ball into fists.

"…sacred…calm down."

Everyone, even Ragnar, was a bit deflated at the sudden sound they heard coming from the hole. It sounded like someone on a tank of helium. Furrowing her brow as she managed to get her feet beneath her, Shalua focused back on the hole and pushed up. Moments later, to her astonishment, a much smaller version of the giant beast appeared to grab the sides of the hole and pull himself out. This one was hardly the size of Shelke. However, unlike the bigger one, this one seemed more refined and controlled. As soon as he was out, he crossed his arms and looked up to the giant one.

That beast, in response, turned fully back to the smaller…and, to Shalua's surprise, whined.

"BUT BIG BROTHER! I CAN TAKE THIS PUNY HUMAN!"

"he's stronger than he looks, and he's probably smart too. no offense, little brother, but you're skills still need a lot of work." The small one answered quite calmly in his own voice.

To Shalua's surprise, the larger one balled his hands into fists and began to smash his feet into the ground. So much so that she nearly went back over, and Rex, who had been beginning to rise, fell to the ground again. The big one, Sacred, actually seemed to be throwing a fit.

"THAT'S NOT FA-A-AIR!" He cried.

The little one stayed calm. "…you want a time out?"

The tantrum immediately ceased. The big one bowed his head and slumped his shoulders as his arms fell to his sides. He looked away and began to groan.

"do you?"

"NO…"

"then get the case. i'll take care of him."

With that, the small one easily stepped forward, moving toward Ragnar. The man hesitated a moment, but then turned his full glare on the small one. As for the large, he muttered a pout one more time, and then started to look around again. Shalua turned her attention to the huge one at this point…although, it seemed to her almost as if the small one was the really powerful one of the two.

At any rate, the big one only looked around a moment before he spotted the case. It was where it had rolled off on impact, lying on its side and waiting to be picked up. He grinned and pointed at it. "THERE IT IS!" Soon he had orientated himself to the article and began to walk toward it.

At the same time, Ragnar issued his own warning.

"…I don't want to kill an esper if I can avoid it."

The smaller one stopped on hearing this. His arms crossed. He was just a foot in front of the tip of Ragnar's sword.

"well, i don't want to have to hurt you any more than i have to. so do us both a favor and give up now."

Ragnar simply narrowed his gaze in response…and then lunged at the small one.

But that was when Shalua stopped watching. Instead, she began to dash after the giant one. "Stop!" She yelled back at him.

In response, Sacred froze…and instantly turned his massive body around to tower over Shalua. She ground to a halt almost immediately as foul, moist breath began to blow from his mouth over her, and his massive form threatened to crush her like a bug.

"OH YEAH? WHO'S GONNA STOP ME? YOU?"

Shalua was frozen. The shock of suddenly seeing the huge thing look over her had stopped her cold. She felt like nothing compared to it, just chaff. Unarmed and out of practice when it came to combat, and faced with this living mountain, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Yet somehow…she managed to swallow and find her voice.

"I don't get it…" She spoke aloud. "Why are you doing this?"

POW.

A cracking sound suddenly ripped out. It was so loud that both Sacred and Shalua turned to its source. To the latter's shock, she was just in time to see Ragnar turned into a blur as he ripped away head first from the small one at a blazing speed. He continued to sail for a good hundred feet before arching back down and smacking against the tarmac. After that, his body continued to tumble and roll away even farther. His body looked rather lifeless, and wasn't making a huge effort to stop himself. The small one, rather calm, began to make his way gradually back over to him.

Sacred cracked a grin, and then looked back to Shalua. The woman looked back to him…suddenly feeling much smaller and weaker if the little one could do _that_.

"TO TAKE THIS PLANET BACK FROM WORTHLESS BUGS LIKE YOU, GIRLIE." Sacred answered. "AND IF YOU GET IN MY WAY, I'LL RIP THE REST OF YOUR LIMBS OUT. NOW BEAT IT. YOU ANNOY ME."

With that, Sacred lightly swung his palm down and slapped Shalua away. Well…light was a very, _very_ relative term. It felt like something had smashed a battering ram into one side as she was flung about twenty feet away to the right and smashed against the ground. She put her arms out to brace herself, but still scraped her good palm and landed hard. On smashing against the pavement, her glasses tumbled off and shattered. But she hardly noticed that. Although she broke most of her fall, her head still snapped down and impacted rather hard against the ground. A thunk went out as she was knocked senseless…

However, she was accustomed to pain as well. Soon after, she lifted her head once again. She looked out, and though her vision was blurry she easily made out the form of the massive Sacred. Luckily for her, her glasses were more for reading than sight. She only needed them for fine detail. So as her senses came back to her and she saw her vision clear, she was able to see the huge hulk turn away from her, dismissing her as nothing now, and look back to where the case had to be. Shalua groaned, but could do nothing to stop him. Her body ached, especially where she had been hit, and she was too sore to rise that quickly. And so, she was only able to see his body fully adjust to the article…

…And then saw a smaller, lither figure suddenly leap into the air and kick Sacred across the side of the head.

Shalua blinked a bit, but then recognized who it was. It was Shelke.

"EH?" Was all the beast could utter.

However, the woman in girl's clothing didn't stop. She immediately reached out and seized Sacred's meaty shoulder, and kicked him even harder in the head either way. After that, she released and came to the ground, and then began to pound away at his stomach. Each blow was brutal and punishing, compared to how a normal person might react. She also swung out her legs and kicked at the sides of his legs, clearly trying to break something. And despite having no weapons or suit, she was still moving with superhuman speed and power.

Unfortunately, the assault lasted all of five seconds before the huge form merely kicked its head back and laughed.

"HA HA HA! WHAT IS THIS? A GNAT ASSAULT? YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME LAUGH MYSELF INTO PASSING-URK!"

At that point, Sacred cut himself off. Abruptly, Shelke had changed targets…and had punched him straight in the family jewels. It had given off a rather loud crunch as well.

As Shalua began to drag herself back in order to try and rise again, she saw the huge beast slowly begin to bend over on the ground. He made no sound for a few moments…but when he did, a long, slow groan came out. He eventually fell onto the palms of his hands, continuing to groan and hunch over from the blow. Shelke herself stood in front of him, and shifted herself out to a ready position for combat. She had no weapon to finish him with, after all. However, as Shalua looked on…she wondered something…

_She could have run… She _should_ have run. Gotten the case and got out of here. But why did she stand her ground? Was it because…_

Whatever the reason, Shalua cut off her own train of thought with a shocked gasp.

Abruptly, the monster had rolled/charged forward and smashed his own thick head into Shelke's body. The girl immediately crumpled around the hit before she too went sailing away.

"Shelke!" Shalua cried. She looked up more, ignoring her pain, and watched as Shelke's body touched down on the ground a considerable distance away. It was farther than Ragnar had gone… With that thought coming to her, Shalua actually turned her head and looked to the side. But the other two opponents were gone. Ragnar had vanished into the hole in the wall, and so had the small one. A second later, however, and she heard a solid blow ring out again. It filled her with growing fear…but not so much as what she had just witnessed. She looked back to Shelke…and saw that the girl was remarkably resilient. That would have killed just about anyone else of the same build…but she was slowly putting her hands underneath her to push up again.

Unfortunately, with some groaning and snarling, Sacred had gotten his feet underneath him first, and was rising.

"LITTLE BITCH…THAT HURT!" He growled. "SHELKE? YOU SOUND JUST LIKE THAT STUPID HUMAN DIABLOS SAID GOT WHACKED... BUT IT DON'T MATTER! I'M GONNA BEAT YOU INTO JAM ANYWAY! JUST AS SOON AS I GET THAT DAMN CASE BROKEN OPEN…"

Giving another snort, Sacred turned his head away from Shelke. It was obvious from how fast she was moving that she wasn't going to present much of a danger to him for a while. So instead, he once more focused on the case…

Only to see one final person standing in his way.

Somehow, in the course of what happened, Rex had risen as well, and stood between Sacred and the case. Although he was taller and more filled out…somehow he looked even more meager and weak compared to Sacred than Shelke had. Shalua's immediate thought was that he was crazy. However…the young man did have a small bit of heroism in him. If he hadn't, Ragnar wouldn't have wanted to keep him around. Actual combat ability, on the other hand…

"Um…I…I'm s-s-sorry, Mr. Sacred… But…that c-c-case is t-t-too important…" He slowly managed to say. "I…I can't let you take it."

Shalua would have been astonished at his bravery if this didn't look both suicidal and pathetic. Sacred stared a bit longer at the man, not so much in pain as actually surprised at such an approach. But then, he merely broke into a smile and guffawed.

"MAN, YOU HUMANS ARE IDIOTS!" He laughed. "IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR EYESIGHT, THAT YOU'RE COMING AT ME WITH NOTHING BUT THOSE THIN LITTLE TWIGS YOU CALL ARMS?"

Rex swallowed, and trembled so much it looked like his glasses would shake off of his head. But he stood his ground.

Grinning, Sacred leaned down a bit, and put his ugly face right in front of the smaller student. He pointed to it. "ALRIGHT, TINY…WHY NOT TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT? HERE'S A FREE ONE. LET ME HAVE IT."

Rex was still frozen. Based on his reaction, it was likely that he had never intended to try fighting in the first place. He was just trying to get the hulk to give up his pursuit. He wasn't crazy enough to try and fighting him. Now, he found himself being washed over by his foul breath with his chin stuck in his face, waiting for him to make a hit against it. The youth looked incredulous, and didn't know what to do.

"COME ON, SHRIMP! I DARE YOU! GIVE ME ALL YOU-"

_CLANG._

Sacred was interrupted and flung backward a second later as a force smashed into his head and sent him careening back. His yellow eyes went wide with surprise and his arms flailed out as he was nearly swept off of his feet, and he staggered back on his hooves, nearly falling into the same hole he had made. The smallest sound came from his lips as he went back, indicating that he had indeed felt the blow that had struck him…and it had hurt.

Shalua was rather shocked herself. Had Rex just done that? She looked back to him…and saw he was now stunned at what had just hit Sacred as well as immobilized in fear. He hadn't done it. However, she soon heard a grinding on the ground a moment later. She looked, and to her surprise saw a broken k-rail from the edge of the tarmac clattering to a rest. That had been what caused it. The huge, heavy, cement object had been flung at Sacred's head and smashed into it.

The beast shook his head, dislodging some cement powder on it. That wasn't a good sign. Shalua would have thought such a move would have fractured his skull, but it seemed to irritate him more than anything else. Now, gritting his teeth, he looked up to see who the culprit was. Almost at the same time, Shalua became conscious that the tarmac was lighting up more than before. And it was turning an electric blue and yellow color… She turned to see what it was.

Wings spread wide, burning eyes seeming narrow on the otherwise expressionless face, Quetzacoatl hovered in midair and gazed at the giant. Electrical bolts snaked around her, and an air of determination and ferocity surrounded her. Yet she was patient here, and waited for the giant creature to make the next move.

"HUH? ANOTHER ESPER?" The beast bellowed, seeming a bit surprised. Yet after that, its face fully reverted to rage. "DAMN TRAITOR!" It accused. "I'LL TEACH YOU TO BETRAY US! TAKE THIS!"

The monster reached down and seized the same k-rail that had hit it a moment ago, brought it up with seemingly no effort, swung around in a circle, and then launched it at the bird. Although it was a fast blow, and with much greater power than he had been struck with a moment earlier…the bird esper had little trouble rising into the air and dodging it, letting it sail harmlessly beneath.

Seeing that the fight was now between those two…Rex swallowed and began to back off. Shalua felt that was a pretty good idea, and she began to scoot away from the battle as she tried to get her feet underneath her. As she did, the beast, angry at having been avoided, bent down and seized a piece of broken tarmac. It was twice as big as the k-rail. He grunted a bit with this hefty load, being a lot even for him. But Shalua was stunned, knowing that something that size could easily crush a dozen humans. He groaned again, swung his body around twice this time to build up more momentum, and then let the huge piece of pavement go.

Yet large as it was, and despite the fact that Sacred threw it even faster than before, Quetzacoatl only had to lower her head and dip her streamlined body underneath it to let it sail by. Strong the beast may have been, but original, creative, or tactical he was not. And no sooner had Quetzacoatl's head began to rise from underneath the flying pavement than streams of electricity began to gather at her beak. As soon as she was fully upright once again, she snapped her head forward and let out a blinding blast of energy. The air was shattered with a sound of thunder, and the humans nearby covered their ears and drug themselves back faster as the lightning shot forward and impacted the beast. He saw it coming, but only had enough time to throw up an arm before it hit.

The world vanished into a blast of light, and the force from the impact seemed to drive Shalua back farther. She had almost gotten her feet beneath her before she was forced to close her eyes and cover them with one hand. For a moment its blinding blaze continued to shoot out, along with the sounds of the air tearing. Yet it died down a moment later, and all was calm once again.

Seeing the world beyond her covered eyes dim again, Shalua removed her hand from over her eyelids. She slowly opened them and blinked to clear the spots. She still couldn't see well, but she could make out the shapes well enough. And her stomach sank a few feet when she saw Sacred, looking untouched except for a few plumes of smoke, lower his arm and dust himself off casually.

"HEH! I'M AN EARTH ESPER, BIRDIE! I'M PERMANENTLY GROUNDED! YOUR LITTLE LIGHT SHOW CAN'T HURT ME! TRY THIS!"

With that, Sacred raised a hoof in the air, extending it so far up that his limberness seemed to betray the sheer amount of muscle he possessed. After that…he swung it down with inconceivable force…and smashed it against the pavement.

Immediately, Shalua was sent back down onto her spine as the ground shuddered with a violent tremor. The same went for the others around her as Sacred's force caused a minor quake to rip throughout the airfield. The existing fractures were widened, and new ones were forced into the stone. However, the most notable thing happened instantly as the hoof was brought down. At the same time, a sharp, jagged, and tall spire of rock abruptly ripped out of the ground and shot straight into the air, as if some underground force had driven it up with the strength of a gigas. Its location was directly under the lightning esper as she hovered in midair.

However, while it was no doubt intended to pierce the birdlike creature…it failed in that regard. Once again, Quetzacoatl needed only raise slightly in the sky to let the stone hit nothing.

"You aren't too bright either, you big lummox." The bird called back. "You forgot that earth powers are useless against a flying creature."

Hearing this only seemed to make Sacred angrier. His fists clenched and his teeth bared as he ground his hooves into the stone, cracking it further. "OH YEAH? TAKE THIS!"

With that, the hulk gave a roar and seized pieces of pavement around it. No longer taking the time to wind up, he merely roared as he stood and tossed them, one after the other, at his flying target. Quetzacoatl easily dodged the first one, but had to quickly move to avoid the second, and by that time the hulk had a third and was flinging it as well. Soon he was roaring in anger, struggling to knock the bird esper out of the sky as he continued to shoot to the ground, seize more fragments of pavement, and fling them up at its opponent. Yet for all its struggling, nothing resulted. Quetzacoatl was more than nimble enough to swing around each blow. Perhaps, had she been a real bird, she would have been constrained by normal physicality. However, due to her esper nature, she seemed to exert some sort of new power which allowed her to avoid it all, no matter how fast or large.

"What're you aiming for, blockhead?" Quetzacoatl taunted. "I'm right here!"

It wasn't long at all before the beast went from angry to furious. As he grunted and threw more stones, each with the same lack of effect, his temper continued to flare. As he did, the esper continued to insult him as well. At last, seeing that he was getting nowhere, his anger broke. He was desperate to knock this annoyance out of the sky. After flinging one more especially large piece, he ducked down into a crouch. He watched and waited as Quetzacoatl let out a laugh and shot over the latest piece of debris. Yet the moment she started to come over, he launched. Using his powerful, muscular legs, he fired himself off of the ground and went sailing straight for the esper at an impressive speed. He balled his hands into fists and brought an arm back.

"ALRIGHT, CHICKEN! LET'S SEE YOU DODGE-"

Shalua, now far enough away and finally up to the point where she could get to her feet again, realized at this moment that Quetzacoatl had to be a better tactician than she thought. For when she finally managed to get the monster to get off of the ground, he was again a free entity with no connection to the charged earth beneath him. He was in the middle of his rant when the bird esper once again summoned her full power to herself and fired. This time, the deadly bolt not only struck its mark in the chest, but it forced him to sound a bellow of pain and rage as his body was enveloped in electrical energy.

Sacred was snapped back out of the air and flung to the ground once again. As a smell faintly of steak seemed to waft its way into Shalua's nostrils, she saw the electrified esper shoot backward before smashing against the tarmac. Only then did Quetzacoatl shut off her blast, knowing that it was now useless, but even afterward Sacred had been flung with such power that his body fractured the ground, and he went sliding backward kicking up so much pavement and dirt around himself that his body was actually overcome by it, and his massive body was plowed the crust. He didn't seem to fight it, and as Shalua finally stood again, she saw his hooves vanish under the mound of dirt he had kicked up in his wake. He stopped sliding a moment later and the growing mound went still. The dirt settled and the air calmed down, and all was quiet for a few moments.

Quetzacoatl didn't relax, but hovered a bit higher in the sky and began to look around, searching for the beast's next move. Shalua herself had to admit that, despite how large that bolt had been, it was likely insufficient to stop a monster of that size and constitution. Yet the area didn't stay silent long. Even as both continued to look, Shalua heard noise from the side. Some rattling metal echoed over the tarmac. Shalua turned and looked, and saw a figure leap out of the hole in the building and touch down on the ground.

It was the smaller one. Only now, despite his smaller size, he appeared to be carrying something much larger with ease. It took Shalua only a moment to confirm it. It was Ragnar. She couldn't tell how badly he had been beaten, but right now he was totally limp and slung over the beast's shoulders. His clothing was a bit torn and dirty, and as his arms and legs dangled loosely she saw no sign of his weapon. The woman was stunned. The little one had beat him? But Ragnar had been one of the greatest fighters in the Volunteer War… He bested men by the hundreds… Even Sacred probably couldn't have beaten him. That only served to confirm her fears. The smaller one had to be stronger than the big one…

What the smaller creature said next only seemed to confirm it. The little one gave a bored sigh. "little brother… can't you do anything by yourself? i thought you'd be done here by now…"

Shalua didn't see this, but the sudden appearance of the beast had done more than distract her. Quetzacoatl, now hearing the little one speak, turned her own bird head to him. She hesitated a moment, and the scientist assumed she likely was reacting in the same surprise that she was on seeing him with Ragnar, and maybe contemplating attacking this one…

Unfortunately…that's when Sacred made his move.

Giving something that sounded like the thunder of a bull of heaven, the beast blared out a resonating note as the ground beneath Quetzacoatl exploded. A massive upheaval of rock and dirt blasted up into the sky, and seemed to erupt all around the bird esper like some sort of mud fountain. The noise that came with it was deafening, both in terms of the roar as well as the sound of the ground exploding. Quetzacoatl, in panic, let out a cry of fright herself and lifted somewhat into the air out of shock. But by the time she had enough of her senses to snap her head down and see what was happening, she was just in time to see two meaty hands reach out from the earth geyser and seize her by the tail.

As the upheaval died down, Quetzacoatl snapped her head to the sky and gave out a cry of surprise and pain. Huge rocks and pieces of ground hit the remains of the fractured tarmac and split into dozens of pieces. But along with them landed a hulking brute. Sacred touched his hooves down on either side of the gaping hole he had just punched out, and stretched out his powerful figure in a sign of victory. As the dirt and dust settled, Shalua looked, and saw him clutching his prize with a vise grip. Quetzacoatl was struggling wildly against his hands, flapping her wings and charging herself with deadly electricity, in an attempt to get free. But he was too strong, and he was grounded now. She couldn't escape. As his face came clear, it revealed a monstrous grin.

"GOT YOU!" He cheered. A second later, and he snapped his arms down, dragging Quetzacoatl with him. The sounds of the upheaval continued to die as his massive hands snapped off of her tail, one at a time, and seized her by her wings. The bird esper continued to screech and struggle, but it was to no avail. As the roar's echo continued to die down, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and twisted her around to face right in front of him. His angry, yet now pleased, face grit its teeth in a bit smile at her. The bird esper could do nothing but stare back helplessly.

However, while Shalua watched this, her eyes now frozen on the sight and fearing that Quetzacoatl was doomed…her ears couldn't help but hear something. The sound seemed to have stopped dying. Now, the roaring echo seemed to be getting…louder…

"I'LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH ME, YOU OVERSIZED CANARY! LET'S SEE IF I CAN'T FIND THAT WISHBONE OF YOURS AFTER I TEAR-"

Again, Sacred was cut off, and his voice vanished into a cry of pain…as a salvo of missiles sailed through the sky and struck him in the back, igniting into large balls of fire.

Shalua was once again shocked as she snapped her head toward the source of the mysterious attack. However, her surprise didn't last too long as her memory registered. The airship… It had been on its landing route when Sacred and the other had attacked… It must have seen what was going on, realized who was the bad guy, and then swung back up and came around for a clear hit. Sure enough, as she looked out, she soon saw the huge craft much lower in the sky, hovering only about fifty feet from the tarmac, and some sort of bays on the side open, revealing where the missiles had originated from. The roar was loud from its engines, but in the wake of what had happened with Sacred's arrival, Shalua realized that the engines had become white noise to her, and that she had almost screened them out compared to what was going on.

She was also a bit surprised to find that a supposedly civilian transport was actually armed…but she was hardly one to complain now.

At any rate, as the missiles impacted against Sacred, his grip was loosened. Quetzacoatl flapped her wings once, and then tore away from the beast and back into the sky. The salvo didn't last long. Although the airship continued to hover where it was and armed another set of rockets soon afterward, it held its fire in the wake of the fireballs it had detonated. The bird esper herself reached a good height, well out of range of Sacred, before looking back down. Now they all watched as the black smoke cleared.

Again, Shalua was aghast at what emerged. As the smoke faded, it revealed the huge warped creature hunched over, looking as if he was in pain, but other than that showing nothing. He was definitely angry. His eyes seemed to gleam with redness as he drooled, clenching his teeth together so tightly it seemed like he was compressing them. As Shalua kept looking, she did happen to see that some of his smooth fur on his back looked a bit ruffed…perhaps even singed…but that was all. There was no blood or gashes or scrapes or shrapnel or anything.

_What is this thing made of?_

The hulk, which seemed to have forgotten all about Quetzacoatl now, instead snapped around and glared at the airship as it continued to hover, aiming itself at the beast. His eyes were blood red again, and he was livid with fury.

"OH…NOW YOU'VE MADE ME VERY, VERY…"

"little brother, enough."

Shalua and Sacred alike both turned back and looked to the smaller beast. He didn't seem that worried or miffed, and by now the scientist realized he had made most of his way toward the hole in the ground. He still had Ragnar slung over his back. The giant beast abruptly lost his angry expression and the burning redness in his eyes. He turned around back to the smaller one a moment later, seeming to ignore the airship as well. He developed a look like a whining child who had been denied an ice cream cone.

"THEY STARTED IT! THEY HIT ME FIRST!" He said, pointing an accusing finger behind him. "AND THAT GIRL'S CALLED SHELKE! WE HAVE TO KILL HER ANYWAY!"

"no we don't. that goal was optional. so was the case." The little one calmly answered. "we have the one we came for. and you're so mad that all you're doing is buying more time for more humans to show up. and they still have enough power to kill us."

On hearing this, Sacred froze for only a moment before flipping his entire body around toward the smaller one. Then, he began to hop up and down on the ground, driving his hooves into the pavement. As a result, small quakes were sent out with such force that the woman was nearly bowled over again. Yet even as she struggled to weather this, she looked on at Sacred, and no longer doubted that he was indeed a kid throwing a tantrum.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! I WAS GONNA WIN! I WAS GONNA WIN! I WAS GONNA-"

"do you want a time out?"

Sacred immediately cut himself off. A moment later, and his face went into a pout. He bowed his head and let his arms slump at his sides. "…NO."

"then come on."

With that, the smaller one, now close enough to the hole, leapt inside.

The larger one held for a moment. He turned his head back around and glared at the airship. It was still there, and small rounded heads were beginning to come out from the holes in its bays once again. It was reloading. His face turned into a snarl, he let out a growl, and then he turned and ran for the hole. Moments later, and a hiss of smoke went out before morphing into a series of screeches. The next salvo was firing, and streaks of light soon shot out from the bays and straight for the hulk.

But they were too late. He was almost there when they came out. He reached the edge and immediately leapt inside head first. An instant later, and his hooves vanished back into the darkness of the earth, the rockets whooshed by harmlessly overhead. Had these not been custom, they might have continued to shoot forward until hitting another object and then detonating. But the engineer of them knew his craft, and he had locked onto the beast. Now that the missiles realized they had missed their target, and calculated that he was at too much of an angle to change course, they immediately disarmed. Their fuel cut off, and a moment later the now-harmless cylinders glided to a halt and bounced against the tarmac, sending a few echoing clangs out over the landscape.

The area went still. Shalua stood immobilized and looked over what had just happened. As soon as the clanging stopped, the only remaining sound was the airship engines, as it continued to hover and whoever was piloting it looked for the source of the danger. Shalua looked up, and saw that Quetzacoatl was still floating in midair, but whoever was flying the airship didn't turn to her just yet. Apparently, he must have seen that this one was trying to help out. That didn't mean he might not turn in just a moment…

Yet the esper didn't seem to wait. A moment later, and it abruptly pitched to the ground and let gravity carry it to it. Shalua looked up, and in a few moments Quetzacoatl was coming to a halt next to her, illuminating the area with her own electrical glow.

"Are you alright?" The bird esper asked.

Shalua rubbed the side of her head where she had landed. "I think so…but what about the others?"

Even as she said this, the scientist turned and looked over the tarmac. It was a wreck. It looked like an earthquake had ripped through it…and in a manner of speaking it had. She had been mostly focusing on Sacred and Quetzacoatl throughout the past few moments, but part of the reason she hadn't seen the others was because the flat landscape had become rather disjointed and uneven.

However, she soon saw a head with glasses pop up. Rex looked rather shaken up and unbalanced, but he seemed alright. She looked a bit longer for Shelke before she saw the girl abruptly hop up on a large piece of concrete sitting above ground at an angle. She seemed to be getting up in order to look at the hole that had been dug. She didn't pay Shalua that much mind, and for a moment seemed to be ignoring her all together. Shalua stared only a second, but then turned away…

"…You're unhurt, I take it?"

Immediately, the scientist turned back, and found herself staring at Shelke. The girl's head had turned slightly to her while her eyes remained fixed on the hole.

The woman hesitated a moment…but then nodded. "Yes."

"But they abducted Mr. Vice." Shelke answered, fully turning back to the hole, and seeming to care no more for her. However, it was enough. Shalua was surprised that she had even said that much. It continued to stay on her mind even as she focused on their current problem again.

Shalua looked on a bit longer, but then her mind went back to the current problem. She turned her head to the hole, as if expecting to see the beasts leap down it again with Ragnar in tow. They weren't, of course, but she remembered it none the less. She stared a bit before turning back up and over to Quetzacoatl.

"They got Mr. Vice!"

The bird esper was all but expressionless through her smooth feathers, but even so Shalua detected some regret from her. "…I saw it happen."

Shalua reacted to this with some puzzlement. "Well…then can't you…"

Quetzacoatl shook her head sadly in response. "I'm all but useless against Earth espers, and both of these are more powerful than I am. I could sense their energy. It was only because that big one was reckless and a blockhead that I was able to do what I could. I can't follow them, especially since they're traveling under the planet now."

"They took Mr. Vice?" An incredulous sound went out from on the other side of the rift. Shalua recognized it as Rex, but was only able to turn slightly to him and just catch him starting to look in disbelief, before Shelke stepped forward.

"Those were the two espers that arose from the test subjects." She explained. "It looks as if they serve Diablos as well now."

"But why did they take him?" Shalua called back. "What do they want with him?"

"I don't know." Shelke flatly answered. "I was ordered to dispose of any that got between me and the samples before. That was all they desired."

_"Ahoy down there!"_

The new voice, blared over a loudspeaker no less, garnered the attention of everyone, snapping them out of whatever thoughts or theories they were thinking of and turning their heads toward the source. Again, Shalua had let her mind wander, and hadn't noticed that the sound of engines had grown closer, or that the wind had picked up rather highly around them while she had been talking. By now, her hair, slightly pulled and looser from the struggle, was now flapping around quite a bit in front of her face as he fixated on the source.

The airship had drawn nearer. It was still hovering, but its floodlights were on now and it had cut back a lot on its throttle, so that the engines were humming loudly but not deafening. It had lowered almost into landing range, but it had stopped just short of it. It was in a good enough position where it could aim its salvo launchers at Quetzacoatl. But whoever the pilot was, he must have deduced from what he saw that the bird esper was on their side. That, or he had seen enough to actually give him pause.

Shalua soon assumed that the latter was true, as a figure soon emerged on the upper deck. She could make out little of him between the lack of lighting and her poor eyesight, but she thought she saw the figure and uniform of a Highwind Skyways airship captain. She could assume that it could only be one person as he put a loudspeaker to his mouth and called out again.

_"What the hell is going on, and what is _that_ thing?"

* * *

To be continued..._


	15. Making Plans

What's this? Sky posting two chapters in one week? Well, since giving up video games for Lent, I've had a lot more time to focus on writing.

* * *

Marlene sighed and slammed down the phone against the receiver. A clicking sound followed within the machine, and so she reached for the coin return and felt around. Nothing. With that in mind, she turned back to the van…if that's what it could still be called. She gave a shrug.

"That was my last gil. No answer."

The older boys could do nothing but sigh and lean back. Denzel had his legs slung outside of the open side door, but Azure was leaning against the side of the car. All three of them looked rather downcast after hearing this. However, they couldn't be too unhappy. There was still a sense of relief as to where they were and how they had gotten there…

Marlene had spent a portion of her young life living in Kalm. She admired its appearance even today. It was very old fashioned…almost like back in more medieval times. The buildings were nearly "mountain" or "cottage" style, and there was a lot of old woodwork, masonry, and shingles used in construction. The lighting was almost like old lamps rather than modern electrical lines. Many of the streets were still cobblestone. The folk here were more "rustic" than towns like Edge or Junon. They still had their festivals and traditions that rang a chord with townspeople and tourists. It wasn't all good, however. It did have a measure of Gothicism around it. A bit of a dark and older quality that could be a little unsettling at night. Even if one was in the middle of a town square above one of the old wells surrounded by evening shoppers or diners, as they were now, you could be rather unsettled if you had a recent scare. And goodness knew that they had.

Marlene still couldn't believe how they had made it out of Edge alive. She could still see flames and bodies piling up around her as they made their last desperate push in a car that could barely do fifty miles per hour. Marlene remembered grinding metal, hitting something, and generally feeling like their entire car was grinding to a halt and becoming trapped over the wreckage of the car. However, whether such thoughts were real or imagination would remain a mystery to her forever. What she did know was that Azure must have been more than capable of shooting out a normal blast with that materia, and had to have done one powerful enough to ignite the machine itself. She wasn't sure how it managed to clear it. The best she could reason is that he had blown the car in two while the force of the flames pushed it away. The van had struck it, and must have managed to push the two parts aside and let them slide through.

Marlene could recall precious little after that, up until about two miles outside of Kalm. She must have gone into an apoplectic state again, driving mostly due to blind instinct rather than conscious thought. She did know enough to realize that although the way out of town had been opened again, they were not pursued. Once they had left the tunnel, they were in the clear. Even the helicopters didn't meet them again.

The van was a total wreck, nearly falling apart at the seams. Even at that point, they realized that it wasn't going to start again once stopped. It had to have been leaking at least two different types of fluid. And so, Marlene continued to push it all the way to Kalm. She must have been going full speed most of the time, but it didn't seem to matter. The car was deteriorating at this point, and it wasn't long before it became clear that they were gradually losing their maximum speed. By the time she had enough presence of mind to think clearly (which was roughly the time at which Kalm appeared on the horizon with no one behind them), she realized that the car, although floored, was puttering down to about 30 miles per hour. By the time they finally rolled into the main street, they were down to about 25.

Nevertheless, Marlene kept the car going until they reached one of the main squares. It was night now, and the sky had clouded up considerably. They didn't want to be anywhere that they wouldn't be seen. Luckily, people would be out a bit longer before that became a problem, and to that end they decided that this was a good as place as any to stop. They pulled up to the nearest pay phone and then put on the brakes. Before Marlene could even get her hand down to the wires to uncross them, the engine died, and it sounded as if at least two different pieces fell from it. None of them bothered to try starting it up again since.

The car was garnering quite a few stares by now, as was the group hanging around it. It was dark enough now that you couldn't really see inside, which was good. If you could, you'd probably note the man still passed out in the back. None of them really knew what to do to treat Vincent. Luckily, it didn't seem they needed to do much. His breathing was actually becoming more steady and even with time, and it looked as if all of his deep lacerations had stopped bleeding. Some of them even looked to be healing up. Marlene wasn't really sure if Vincent had any natural healing abilities, but if he did then they were working. Hopefully he'd be conscious again soon…because, right now, none of them really knew what to do.

The kids were still inside the back, but were still clearly visible. After all, so much of the car was falling apart that you could see anyone inside it no matter where they sat. They had stopped crying by now, for they were still at that time of life where they could believe that fate was totally in control of those who told them it was going to be alright. However, their tension was still clear. They weren't acting as they normally did. The slightest thing could set them off. For the moment, Crain, Samoa, and Simoa were sitting together in a clump. Marlene saw that the fourth one was a bit further away, keeping to himself.

It was at that point that Marlene suddenly realized she hadn't even found out who this person was. She had just grabbed him and thrown him in the car, and since then she couldn't recall him saying anything. He might have no idea where he was or who he was with right now. Marlene had supervised the kids enough times to get to know many of them, but she regretted to realize that this was one that was fairly new and still mostly unknown to her. She did realize that he was one of the quieter ones that played by himself, and that was usually a bad sign. It might have indicated a rather anti-social past, or one where there was nonacceptance.

With the danger passed, Marlene decided to try and focus on the boy for a moment. Moistening her lips a bit, she calmed herself down as much as she could and walked back to the car. The boys soon realized based on her path that she was headed for the lone student that had come with them. It wasn't hard. She didn't even have to get in. She only had to walk around to the back door, which was still gouged open, and walk up to the corner where he was seated. As she approached, he didn't appear to notice. He kept his head down, and seemed to play with bits of his clothing, twisting and untwisting the cloth as he had since they had arrived.

Marlene came in close to him before stopping. After that, she squatted down so that she was at head level. She smiled as best as she could to the boy. He blinked once or twice, not looking up…but then responded by lifting his own head and staring back at her. His face was expressionless. Marlene didn't touch him…not yet, not knowing how he might take it after earlier, but continued to look pleasant.

"Hello." She said. "I haven't even asked you your name. What is it?"

The boy said nothing. He simply stared back with a rather blank expression.

"Um…he doesn't say anything."

Marlene turned her head on hearing that, and found herself looking at the twins. They had stared back at her, and gestured to him.

"He never says anything…"

"…Not even to mommy."

"He just sits and plays by himself..."

"…Except during magic practice."

The young woman turned back to the boy at that. He was still staring at her, and showing nothing. At the least, it looked like he was paying attention to her. But other than that he showed nothing. She tried something else.

"Are you alright? Were you hurt when we escaped?"

No answer. He continued to stare back.

"You're going to stay with us for a while, alright? We can't go back to the school."

Nothing.

The girl was a bit unnerved by all of this. "…You don't have to talk if you don't want to, but could you just shake your head or nod?"

The boy continued to stare.

"He's always been weird." Crain suddenly spoke up from where he was, leaning up next to the twins and looking at him.

Marlene turned to him with something of a frown. "Crain, that's not nice."

"But he is!" Crain insisted, defending himself. "The police dropped him off one day at school, and he hasn't said anything since then. All he does is Geomancer practice. And sometimes, he just stares at Aunt Aerith for hours."

The young woman paused after hearing all this. Indirectly, Crain had answered one of her questions, and that was what type of magic that the boy excelled at. As for the other things, she was a bit more hesitant. But it was only a moment. Aerith did have a magnetic personality when it came to children, and this boy was probably traumatized from what had happened to him that had led him to the school in the first place. At least the police officers that had picked him up were wise and kind enough to bring him to them.

"He's probably just not used to people." Marlene finally answered him, before turning back to the boy. "Alright. Just stick with us and don't wander off and you'll be fine."

The boy neither reacted to Crain's statements or to Marlene. He kept his stare. The only thing that indicated he had any comprehension of this at all was the fact that he had turned his attention to her. The girl was a bit regretful after all of this, but could only give a nod to him and then look away.

As she did, she soon got a bit of surprise, and showed it by snapping back a little. Her gaze had gone back to the kids in the car, but her eyes had focused on something behind them.

"Vincent!"

On hearing this, everyone immediately turned and looked. Sure enough…the man had gotten his arms underneath him and was slowly pushing himself up. He still looked rather wretched and excessively pale, and he wasn't showing any of the strength he had managed to summon from earlier. However, he was conscious, and he was forcing himself to move. He had finished panting, and none of his blood was fresh anymore.

The kids hesitated. None of them were certain of whether to go forward and help him as he pushed up, or to hold back. Before they could break their nervousness and do anything, however, he had managed to get up enough to shove himself backward and put his back against the wall of one of the ripped up panels. Marlene winced on seeing that, knowing that his back was still badly wounded, even if it wasn't bleeding, and that there were numerous jagged edges of metal poking out, ready to dig into his back. However, he winced only slightly on sitting there.

The silence was finally broken.

"Are you alright?" Azure asked.

The man didn't answer. He sat still, seeming to be regaining his composure. He was silent for about another ten seconds, before his red eyes cracked open. He managed a weak look out to them, and beyond them to the city.

"…We made it to Kalm, I take it."

Marlene herself hesitated a moment, but then nodded. The older boys did too and then, out of mimicry, so did the younger children.

Vincent stiffened a bit, and inhaled and exhaled once, seeming to shift weight. "…We need to get to my apartment."

Marlene seemed regretful at that. "We can't… The car's a wreck."

Vincent hesitated here, and turned to her. He stared a moment, and seemed to think something over. In the end, he merely grunted again as he shifted his arms behind him and pushed off. His body slowly slid away from the panel and toward the open side door. "…Then we'll walk."

Denzel backed off as the pointed metal boots approached him, but he still looked incredulously at the man. "You want to walk? When you're this beat up?"

"I really don't have a choice in the matter." Vincent answered as he continued to push, with a bit more difficulty. His feet slowly went over the edge, and his ankles began to follow. "Unless any of you has any change on you…"

The boys looked to Marlene. She, on her part, grimaced and turned a bit red.

"…We used it all trying to call Ragnar."

"Then we have to get back even faster." He answered as he finally got his knees out, and was left seated on the edge of the van door. Once there, he held up his human hand and beckoned to the nearby young men. They paused, but then realized what he wanted. They quickly went to his sides and put their own arms under his. As they began to lift him up to a standing position, he continued. "My cellular is dead. My land line phone is there, and I need to make some calls. Everyone has to avoid Edge at all costs."

The little kids began to get out and file up to Denzel and Azure, now that they had Vincent standing and away from the van. Even the mute child joined them. Marlene brought up the rear as she walked toward them. The last statement that Vincent had made got her attention again. As she approached, she asked him again.

"What's going on in Edge? What happened there?"

Vincent didn't answer at first. He waited until the boys had turned him toward the sidewalk and began to move him. Even after that, he began to look up and around. Marlene could guess why. Motorists weren't a prominent staple of Kalm, but there was the chance that one would drive by, see their plight, and help them out by giving them a ride. Only once he was doing this did he offer a small response.

"…Something that came from beneath Midgar. Something evil."

* * *

It had taken quite some time to get everything cleared up at the airfield. It wasn't easy, especially not with Ragnar gone and not there to explain things. However, Shalua had possessed some clout from her days back in the PPA, and she had been high enough that she had gotten the attention of a former Commander Mack Router. Naturally, in a world full of monstrous, mutated aberrations that seemed to have an innate hatred for humanity, it was not unusual to suspect that some sort of great glowing bird was a hostile along with the minotaurs that had been driven off. Luckily, he had pretty good judgment, and he happened to notice that the glowing one was fighting off the minotaurs, and that they themselves appeared to be truly hostile. With that in mind, he gave enough of a berth for them to explain the situation.

Now, one hour later, the ace pilot from the Volunteer War found himself frequently turning his head outside the main window of the airship as he piloted it along…noting the radiant, electrical being flying alongside them as they raced south over the ocean.

"So…let me try to get everything straight…" He said as he turned away and refocused ahead for what had to be the thirtieth time so far. "You guys dug up things that bring mythical monsters back to life, a branch of the Shinra military that's buried under Midgar found out, they stole some and they brought back a really bad monster, he's taken control, he had one of them eat Mrs. Aerith, and two more of them just took Ragnar away and tried to get ahold of the rest of the stuff too?"

"That's about the size of what we know right now." Shalua answered, leaning against one of the taller consoles slightly behind him. Shelke was also near, arms crossed and looking indifferent, as before. At this point, however, Shalua realized that the strain had to be mounting. There wasn't much time left. Near her was Rex, looking the most uneasy of all. He still seemed a bit overwhelmed from what happened, and he appeared even more out of it than Mack himself. There were numerous stations available on the bridge, but no one was manning them. Some of them had been for defensive purposes back during the war, but others were normally filled during regular operations. Unfortunately, this flight was "pro-bono" work, and as such Mack had turned on the automations and brought it himself. That was part of the reason it took so long to respond to the situation on the ground. The ship wasn't built to go into combat _and_ be crewed by one person.

"That's enough." Mack answered in an exasperated voice. As he piloted the craft, he moved his hand down to the console and pressed a button periodically. He kept frowning after doing so, and now was no exception as he made his latest trial. "And it looks like things just keep getting worse. I can't even get Edge's terminal on the radio. I know it's shut down, but someone should still be monitoring air traffic out there for an emergency landing."

Shalua raised her head at that. She grew a bit nervous. "Can't we land anyway?"

Mack shook his head. "With the recent terrorist strike, they're on high alert for air traffic. I suppose we could, but we'd be delayed for a few hours. It would be just as fast to land in Kalm and try to get a car ride.

"Then get us to Kalm." Shalua answered readily. "We need to get as close to Midgar as we can." She bowed her head a bit and sighed soon after. "I was hoping we could at least set up at Isuzu Industries, but I guess that will have to wait." She again looked to her watch, and saw only about eight hours remaining.

The pilot frowned, pressing a few buttons, and finishing by smacking them before looking ahead again. "For that matter, I haven't gotten ahold of anyone at the terminal office. I'm going to check in with the main branch and see if they know what's going on…" He moved his hand to the other side of the wheel, and began to maneuver his fingers across something that looked like a dialing console.

"…There's a chance we're too late."

The sudden soft statement garnered everyone's attention. Mack, Shalua, and Rex looked back to Shelke, and saw her staring outside the window for the horizon.

"Edge is nearest to Midgar." She continued. "If they wanted to make a strike, it would be likely that they would try there first. I'm not sure of the offensive capabilities of more than two espers, but if the esper designate Siren truly is capable of entrancing individuals as Mr. Vice said, then she might be able to get onto the broadcasting systems of Edge and utilize her power. And even if she doesn't, Diablos himself can use his power to enslave others as I was."

The cabin went silent. That was something none of them had been thinking about before. Until now, they had all suspected that whatever problem was arising was a basic hassle that occurred in daily life, or simply common misfortune. However, they all began to realize that they weren't dealing with commonality. They were up against strange, magical creatures that had powers and abilities none of them could fathom. Shalua herself had realized that the two earth espers had to have tunneled to their location, and in order to do so they would have had to go _under_ the ocean…

"…I'll…start calling up Kalm right now." Mack finally said, shifting to dial a different number.

"To be safe…don't tune in on any broadcasts from Edge." Shelke cautioned.

* * *

_Gaa…huh…huh…_

_Leviathan!_

_I…huh…must be…huh…insane… I didn't…huh…even know…huh…a spirit…huh…could be…huh…out of breath…huh…_

_You intervened, didn't you? Like I did…_

_…I guess…huh…you…huh…rubbed off on me…huh…_

_You'd both save yourselves trouble if you just used what energy you have to tell them to bring us back to life._

_We may…huh…have to…huh…What?_

_What's wrong?_

_Hello father._

_Yo, dad._

_We give off such an individual signature through our own presences that we're drawing quite a crowd. More are coming faster and faster._

_Hey, what're we waiting for? Let's get back to life already! Quetzacoatl shouldn't get all the fun!_

_Sigh…this isn't a trivial matter. And it isn't something we can just leap into like that._

_Huh…we may not be able to, Bahamut…huh…but things certainly are _not_ trivial anymore…_

_What do you mean, Leviathan?_

_Give me another…huh…moment…_

_Pft…take all the time you want. We're dead and all…_

_Alright…it's worse than we thought. Diablos knows exactly what he's doing. I don't know how. Either each new soul that enters his amalgamation tells him what's transpired…or he was simply dwelling in the Lifestream waiting for this event to happen. Waiting for anyone to find a way to mistakingly bring him to life and then do so._

_What has he done?_

_He only started with DeepGround. He's been bringing one esper after another back to life since then, only taking ones that have a hatred of humanity. Siren is one of them. He also brought up another amalgamation…the Phantom Train. _

_Sigh…_

_Siren enslaved everyone in DeepGround to be Diablos' slaves. They're building an abomination of a war machine, and they just gained far more manpower. They used human radio systems to put her voice all over the city of Edge. Over a million humans now serve Diablos. Worse yet, however…is that Diablos seems to know about the Cetra bloodline…and how he can use it._

_…_

_…What does that mean?_

_…Are you certain, Leviathan?_

_He didn't kill the female Cetra. He captured her. The male one was next. He would have gotten their offspring as well if not for the intervention of the one who bears the essence of Chaos. Even so, I had to intervene in order to enable them to escape the city. Yet it matters little. Diablos must have accessed the computer records that DeepGround possessed. He knows who they are. He'll try again as soon as he has gained more power. Human attempts to stop the espers have failed in all trials so far. Bringing them back as Guardian Forces seems to have increased their constitution and power, although I'm not sure if this is them simply being prepared for their opponents._

_…_

_…_

_I still don't understand. What's this mean?_

_And I don't understand why we simply don't get back there and carve ourselves up a pseudo-demon._

_For once, I agree._

_…How's the human response?_

_…Bad. They don't even have an idea of what's going on. They probably will once Diablos grabs the offspring, but by then it will be too late… And if Siren somehow finds a way to broadcast her voice all over the world…_

_This doesn't make any sense. Siren's spirit fought along with us…_

_Magicite has no choice but to serve the one who bears it, Terra. You should know that better than anyone… But could she really summon enough power to do that? To enslave everyone in the world at once?_

_I don't think so…but it might not matter. She already has a million willing to live and die at her command. They no longer feel pain, fear, remorse, or pity under her spell. Unless mankind was able to organize a counter-offensive right now, they'd never be able to stop them. But even if they did, I can sense the level of power Diablos now possesses from here…_

_…_

_…That's true._

_Hello? Is anyone listening to me over here?_

_It's time to stop hesitating, brother._

_Come on! We're dead! This doesn't even matter to us anymore!_

_Maybe for you, woman. But I think I and my brother have been around the mortal coil more than once._

_…Sadly, he's right, Terra. If Diablos carries out what he's doing, the spirits of this world will be in as much danger as those who still live._

_…And the humans won't be able to stop it before it's too late?_

_…I do not think so._

Now_ can we go back?_

_…_

_Listen, it's not that simple. You act like we actually have a choice in the matter. We don't. Diablos may know what he's doing, but he's on the other side. We aren't. There has to be a spirit willing to go back specific to an element._

_Well, we do! I'm here! _

_And I want to go back too!_

_Well, that's only two of you. The rest of us shouldn't even be here. We should have gone on to the next world and…_

_…I'll volunteer._

_What?_

_I'll return. If Ifrit goes, I'll go._

_Huh?_

_Are you sure? You'd really like to return to life? After how you died?_

_I died giving up my power to humans. It seems typical that this would be how I would return. Besides…I didn't mind helping out their summoners that much._

_Hey, wait a minute. I'm wanting to bust some heads, but there's no…_

You_ wait a minute. I never allowed you to tell me where to go or what to do for one day of my life. And I never regretted getting captured along with you, either. Whether in this world or the one before, I don't want to exist separately from you. And besides…it's really not up to you. It's up to whoever drinks from the bowl labeled 'Ice', correct?_

_Well then, that's a new problem in and of itself. This means three humans at least will have to die to give us life._

_…Not necessarily._

_What?_

_We don't need to use a human. There are many other creatures in nature that would probably be more willing to lay down their lives if they knew what they were protecting. We would just need to see if any of them were receptive._

_Well then, in that case, that brings us to the worst problem of all. None of this is in our control. None of us can cause the humans to either drink from the bowls themselves, or to find a willing individual who would drink from them. Here, we are silent and unseen. We would have to find a receptive spirit to even be able to say anything, and in the course of doing so we would probably lose contact with this world and become wraiths. And even if that could be overcome, and we could all return, then what? We'd immediately forget everything that we have discussed here and only remember our last few moments of life. We couldn't respond either._

_That's fine with me…_

_Not me. That sucks._

_...Maybe it wouldn't._

_What?_

_You said yourself that Diablos had been planning this. Quetzacoatl and the others, by comparison, were just brought back against their will. So no, they weren't expecting to return to life. They hadn't even a reason to think of anything. All they had was their drifting sensation to remain within the Lifestream rather than go on to the next world. But Diablos did. He's been planning this ever since he was capable of conscious thought. Maybe he was able to remember his task when he manifested himself._

_Diablos isn't even a soul in the traditional sense of the word, Bahamut. The rules may not apply to him._

_But look, Leviathan. Look at us gathered here. All of us know what's going on. All of us are understanding it within our spirits. And we can feel the changes in the Planet itself. We would feel this gathering here. We would hear what we were thinking. And when we did, we'd remember. Wouldn't we?_

_…_

_Well, wouldn't we?_

_Answer, snake._

_…I suppose it's a possibility. But only an esper with a strong spirit would be able to do so, and one that knew enough to try and link up with the Lifestream to confirm it. Then that one would have to connect with all others that returned and be able to calmly explain it so that they would understand._

_…And you could do that, couldn't you?_

_…Me?_

_Him?!_

_You've fought for the cause of humans longer than I have, Leviathan. It was you who sealed Wyvern and raised the last summoner as your own child. The one who intervened once to keep the warriors of light from disaster. The one who built Alexander to try and protect the Planet from evil._

_Yeah, yeah…keep reminding me why I hate him, brother…_

_But…I'm no more, Bahamut. I've passed on. I'm ready to go to the next life._

_If that's truly the case, Leviathan, then why did you send Starlet on without you? Why are you still lingering here? Why did you refuse to kill or abduct Garnet, knowing that it was probably the logical thing but not the right thing? To this day, the people of Wutai view you as a more kindred spirit to them than I, and _I_ founded them. _

_…_

_You're like me. You couldn't go on because you wanted to make sure that the race we fought so hard for would live._

_…_

_You're willing to return, aren't you?_

_…Sigh… Even if I am, Bahamut…there's one final problem. It's drained the both of us, "strong spirits" as we are, just to whisper a suggestion to two receptive individuals. To able to tell one to use the four bowls that would restore us and tell them enough so they understood why would almost certainly leave us homeless entities. It would be a misery beyond death and it would last as long as this world…perhaps this universe…lasted._

_Hmph…I'd rather just wait for them to drink the bowls themselves in desperation. I bet they will eventually…_

_…_

_Well, that's a downer…but I'm willing to go if Shiva will get to go back._

_No. I'm not doing it if you have to suffer that fate._

_…_

_Well…then can one of us just try to warn them about what will happen? Say they're going after the twins?_

_I can't now…I'm too drained. Maybe in a while Bahamut will be able to…Bahamut?_

_Terra._

_…Yes?_

_…I love you._

_Wait…no…!_

_Stop!_

_You idiot! You fool! _

_NO!

* * *

_

Mack switched off the console and looked back to the others. "Alright…landing is cleared for Kalm. We'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Is there anyway we can get a car or something while en route?" Shalua asked. "We need to head to Midgar right away as soon as we get there."

"Well, assuming what she says is right…" Rex suddenly spoke up, gesturing to Shelke. "Can we even get there? I mean…what if it's already overrun?"

"That doesn't matter to me." Shelke simply answered. "I can either die on arrival or die attempting to get to the base. It would be guarded either way. It was always a risk I had to take."

Shalua turned to her. "I'll help you."

"Even if I needed your help," Shelke instantly and emotionlessly responded. "It wouldn't make a difference. With your low mobility and handicaps, you'll never be able to get into DeepGround."

"I can still tr-"

Shalua was cut off abruptly as the lights flickered above the cabin. To coincide with it, a large "whump" sound suddenly went off overhead. It was obvious that something heavy had shaken it. As a result, Shelke, Shalua, and Rex turned their heads up to the source. The latter two showed some puzzlement in response.

"What was that?"

"I think it might have been your friend…" Mack answered, getting them to look back to him. "She just flew up and vanished…"

The three stayed silent for a moment afterward. They looked to each other and back to the ceiling. After hesitating for a little while, Shalua finally decided to react. She turned her head down to the back of the bridge area and began to walk toward the rear door. Her vision was still bad with no glasses, but she could make out this much detail at least. It didn't take her long to reach it. The door slid aside automatically when she arrived, and let her pass through to the areas beyond.

Most airships were pretty well done nowadays in order to create more "cheerful" or "clean" environments for the clientele. However, Mack had been running this flight as a special favor. As a result, he took a much smaller craft for only a few passengers and smaller cargo. It was cost effective for him, as these large machines did eat quite a bit of fuel. This particular craft was a bit more "compressed" than the standard airship. It accomplished this by "stacking" the main machinery rather than extending it the length of the entire craft. There was an entire upper level on this ship available for access, although the bridge was on the lower one. Most of the innards of the ship were "naked", not having any paneling or paint, but rather exposing the workings and engine mechanisms through metal gratings. It smelled of metal and oil, and the air was warm and muggy. Nearby was a spiral metal staircase leading to the next highest level, and from there one could get to the upper deck. However, right back in this area was where they had strapped down the remaining samples, just a bit away from the entrance to the bridge.

It was over the case now that Quetzacoatl was hovering, opening it up and going through the contents.

Shalua managed to see this fairly clearly, considering the fact that the glowing bird formed an unmistakable image in her otherwise bad vision. "What are you doing?" She asked.

The bird esper paused and turned her head to her. She hesitated. When she did finally speak, Shalua noticed that her voice was frightened.

"…I've seen a vision." Quetzacoatl answered. "I'm not sure how…but I saw what's going on in Midgar and Edge. I saw what Diablos is planning to do. But most of all…I saw that there are others in the Lifestream waiting. Ones that wanted me to do something for them. They want to help."

Shalua stared in puzzlement at this. "Others? Who? More espers?"

Quetzacoatl didn't answer. Instead, she moved out small feet from beneath her and dipped them inside. Shalua heard her grabbing things. "I can only carry two at a time. I'll be back for two more later."

"Wait a minute." Shalua interrupted. "What's going on? What do you mean you saw a vision?"

"Just trust me." Quetzacoatl answered. Shalua saw the blur of electric energy suddenly spread wider, and she realized it was the wings of the esper unflapping. A moment later, and the form angled toward the spiral stairway. Before she could say anything else, it took off for it. It didn't bother going around the stairs, but rather used its exceptional flying ability to shoot straight up and go through the opening above.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Shalua called out, holding up her flesh and bone hand in vain to stop her.

It was too late. Quetzacoatl soon vanished onto the upper floor. Not long after, she was emerging onto the upper deck and back out into the night sky. Mack caught her a moment later as she flew off, but she didn't return to her last position. She unfurled her wings and sailed out far faster, leaving the airship and its crew far behind and vanishing into the blackness.

* * *

Edge had undergone a massive change that afternoon, and it might have been thought that the city would have degenerated into some sort of primal chaos in the wake. However, that wasn't what was going on at the moment. The power was still on through most of the city. Helicopters were still scanning the skies. Radio and television broadcasts were still ringing out…although they now showed only one thing to anyone who got close enough to hear. And the city was still filled with vehicles that were running to and fro. Not only that, but the population was busy. In fact…they were busier than they had been in a long time…

In the center of the city, what appeared to be almost like a giant celebration was going on. People were packed into a few streets surrounding the central square, forming, from above, what looked like a vast, multicolored carpet under the glow of street lamps and helicopters. They weren't everyone, by any means. There were a few thousand roaming the streets of the city right then and there. Most of them were searching for readily available scraps of iron, or taking blocks of stone from quarries. Others were searching for high amounts of volatile chemicals and reactants. Yet most bizarre of all was that some of them were looking for innocuous things…like certain species of plants, ground up bones of museum specimens, bits of slime growing in sewers… All of these were being loaded up onto every large truck that could be found and were shipped back to Midgar's ruin.

However, the far majority of the citizens were gathering in the square for a different purpose. In addition to them, the city's convoy of buses were there. They were endlessly shuttling people from Edge to Midgar on two separate routes, one bearing them to one destination, and the other bearing them to another. The far majority of the people were very slowly filing into a space between the buses for these two routes, narrowing from the large crowds they made in the streets to form lines of humans thirty wide. Once they made them, they waited until the previous group was assigned a position, and then advanced and waited for their own assignments.

What was oddest about this picture was who the taskmasters were. They weren't former DeepGround members or even muscular humans. They were an assemblage of monstrous, turtle-like creatures. Each one bore a crude trident of their own making as they roamed the lanes of cars and humans, yelling out things to them occasionally, either in their own hoarse language or in some crude emulation of the human tongue. They looked on them with disdain as well. Occasionally one would lose his temper and smack one with a staff of their tridents. Always, the human would take the pain without flinching.

Diablos cared little for this, so long as his latest minions stayed on task. And they were doing a good job so far. He himself perched on top of an overturned vehicle in the center of the square, the talons from his feet gripping the metal as he gazed out. He was still halfway inside a human flesh disguise…but the flesh seemed to be a bit whiter now…a bit more moist.

This race of creatures called themselves the Sahagin. They had been mutants initially, and not truly descended from the monster races of old. Yet that mattered little to Diablos. They had crude, rudimentary intelligence, and that meant they would obey, especially to one who could connect with them beyond a flesh level, get past their primal, hating nature and contact them within. Offer them a chance to get even with the race that had painfully brought them into existence and then forced them to flee into their subterranean constructs. And to one who had bothered to contact them, considered them powerful and intelligent, offered them the chance of greater things and a life above… Well…they fell in as easily as the goblin races had underneath Hades.

An especially large one who had crude metal plated armor over his shoulders, a treasure among the Sahagin race, and an X scar over one eye grunted as he stepped up to the newest line of humans that had arrived. He looked them all over and growled as he did so. He jabbed them frequently with the end of his trident, as if trying to test their durability. He gave them smacks frequently as well. Once he had assessed the line, he went to the front, and in his hoarse, deep voice moved down it.

_"Pits. Hoarde. Pits. Pits. Hoarde. Pits. Pits. Pits. Pits. Pits. Pits. Pits. Hoarde. Pits. Pits…"_

He continued down the line, sounding them all out with one of two options. At the end, when he came to a halt and stood to one side, the line moved. The few that had been called out for "hoarde" moved to one chain of buses. The rest moved to the other. Diablos looked over this, and also turned his head out over the square to see similar Sahagin taskmasters doing the same thing, dividing up the people into two different parties and sending them on their way. In all cases, there were far more for the pits than the hoarde. Diablos didn't care. He wanted only the best for the first army. And he needed more workers to get his inner workings in motion.

He viewed this a bit longer, before turning his head down to the area beneath him. There were additional creatures here, gazing up at him. The two Brothers. His look narrowed on viewing them again.

"…you said that the ragnar human was the main target." Minotaur flatly stated, his own look just as hard and arms crossed. Sacred, on his part, backed down slightly. After all, from here, Diablos was able to cast his shadow over them, and let them feel his dark presence. So he enjoyed that the bigger one was nervous. The smaller one being more in control, however…was not something he enjoyed seeing. "you told us that the girl was likely dead. we deemed her as a non-essential target as a result."

"I did, but you should have had the foresight to at least realize the case was fairly critical." Diablos retorted coldly. "We cannot risk the humans realizing its potential. I sent you two knowing that you'd be able to destroy it no matter what was thrown at you, and yet you flee at the first sign of minor danger. And in letting the girl and the others live you've made the humans aware of our existence and part of our plans."

"THAT'S MINOTAUR'S FAULT!" Sacred boomed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "HE WANTED TO LEAVE! I WAS READY TO RIP THEM ALL TO PIECES! WE WERE WINNING!"

Minotaur, however, did not look embarrassed or any more fearful for hearing that, even when Diablos focused his full gaze on him. His eyes did quiver a moment…but then solidified. He refused to be backed down. "and i would do it again if i was back there. the espers died once by attacking without knowing what they were up against. i won't make the same mistake."

"Your survival will be assured so long as you obey _my_ orders." Diablos retorted. "Did you at least move him to the temple?"

Both of them nodded.

"Then I'll deal with him as I did his mate shortly." Diablos responded. At least they both seemed to obey…for now. He didn't need dissention. Not this early. It would be easy enough to dispose of any traitors, especially considering how much his power would soon grow. Yet he didn't want to do anything to offset Siren. She was his greatest asset at the moment, and he needed her to stay working for him. A bit more time was needed before he would no longer need the cooperation of any allies to take this world and…

_…Wait a moment…what is this I sense?_

A strange series of energy signatures suddenly went into Diablos. Something was eminating them nearby. He turned his head, and soon found himself looking at the next line of humans stepping up to be evaluated by the nearest taskmaster Sahagin. Unlike the normal assembly, however, this one was mostly made up of children. They were various ages but all rather young. Each one was giving off an aura of considerable magical power. One on par with…wizards. That was something most peculiar. This world had only recently regained the potential for magic, and to find ones so concentrated gathered together in one spot was practically miraculous…

That was when Diablos realized it. The thought brought a wide smile to his face.

_Of course…the Cetra's little school…_

_Well now…isn't she the gift that keeps on giving?_

The Sahagin began to approach the first child, meaning to grab him and give him a rough shake for constitution checking. However, moments before his taloned hand could grasp him…a pale hand with long talons seized his wrist. It was calm, but held it in a vice-like, iron grip. Very slowly, it pulled the hand away from the child, even as the Sahagin seemed to turn pale himself and grow rather small and meek looking. The touch seemed to be draining something from him. He managed to slowly turn, and when he did he saw that his master was standing right next to him, casting his dark aura over him while he beamed at the children. A moment later and Diablos released, and the Sahagin shrank away in fear immediately. The thing, on its part, merely returned his hand to his side and gazed over them.

As he passed over, he took note of each of their respective abilities. It wasn't that hard to see their aptitudes, especially with his own senses. Once he had taken account of each, he stood back a bit with his arms crossed behind them and surveyed them as a unit.

"…You six, you two, you, and you." He called out, moving his talons across them. The ones that were called out stepped forward in response. It consisted of all the ones who were adept with black magic, and a few that were adept with time magic. After all, in the right hands, the latter skill could be quite devastating. But he only needed a few.

The Sahagin had recovered some of his courage by now, and began to slink forward, back to his master. He turned back to him once he drew near enough. Diablos directed his voice to him as he waved his hand out again, this time over the ten that had stepped forward.

"These ten will be my personal coven. My specialists of a sort." Diablos explained. "They will be coming with me personally back to our fortress."

_"What of the others, my master?"_ The Sahagin asked. _"Into the pits with them?"_

Diablos paused and looked over them a moment longer.

"…I don't think we can get much labor out of these before they fall." He answered. "Ship them to the slaughterhouse. They might as well benefit our army in one regard."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	16. Meathook and Me

Whoo-hoo! I'm on fire! Hopefully this helps allay fears that you all might have of me dropping this story.

* * *

The younger kids, even the silent one, were looking pretty tired by the time they had arrived at Vincent's apartment. "Apartment" was somewhat of a loose term… It was really only a room for let that he had taken at the top floor of one of the multi-tier homes in Kalm. Aside from a bed that looked like it hadn't been used in a week and a table and chair that had enough dust on them to show that Vincent had never had a use for them, the room was rather bare. The only real chamber in the room that had anything that he had bought was within the closet. That was filled with weapons and ammunition, as well as an assortment of various parts that had been swapped out of guns in the past for better ones, or perhaps for alternate functions.

However, the younger ones were tired, and as a result it was small wonder that all three of them had gotten onto Vincent's single bed as best as they could and passed out. Vincent himself wasn't lying down anymore. He was sitting, but looked more stable all the time. Denzel had noticed his back periodically, and each time it looked a little better. At this point, all of his wounds were definitely sealed, and the initial cut that had made them was fading. He was looking less pale and healthier with each passing minute. He was pretty much moving normally right now as he went over his parts of Cerberus with a small cleaning kit.

The older kids were still awake, although Marlene was nodding as she sat on the floor against the wall. Azure seemed fairly alert as he kept an eye out the window. That left Denzel to pace around and pause against the doorway from time to time. He was anxious. He didn't like standing around here, though he was starting to feel tired himself. He wanted to know what had gone on and what he could do to stop it. However, on their initial arrival, all that they had really done was get situated and make sure Vincent was alright. As a result, he had attempted to place a phone call only to learn that there was a network problem affecting long range broadcast antenna. Even a landed line wasn't working, because he was trying to place a call across the ocean. And so, he had gone silent and had gotten to servicing his weapon. The rest of them had been left mostly to loiter.

Denzel sighed impatiently and turned to the dark man after a while. He was moments from speaking up again about what he saw, when he found himself cut off.

"…Something wicked is moving out from under Midgar."

Both Azure and Denzel fully focused on Vincent when they heard that. Marlene shook her head and looked up as well. The dark man didn't look back but continued to clean his weapon as he continued.

"…There was a militant group under there. Something leftover from Shinra. They were the ones that attacked the airfield. They got that cargo that you were supposed to receive. Once they had it…they let out something evil inside it. Whatever it is, it's taken control of that militant group and everything under Midgar. And it brought to life some sort of enchantress. Her voice brings out the heart's desire of whoever hears it and manipulates them through it. She didn't have any trouble making them all her slaves."

The others were silent momentarily in response to this news. A feeling of dread went through them. Azure himself was the first to make the connection. "So…" He answered. "That's who had put their voice on the loudspeakers. That's who was making everyone turn wild…"

"I managed to stay long enough to learn of their plan." Vincent continued. "I also saw how they're building down there. Whatever this thing is…it's changing the underground. Making it into some sort of new hellish fortress for itself. Now they'll have thousands of workers to carry it out. Not only that…but he's making more creatures like himself…more powerful monsters."

"…Espers?" Azure suggested.

"I don't get it, though." Denzel interrupted. "If that's what her voice is doing, how come you didn't get hypnotized?"

Vincent paused very briefly, both in his speech and in his work. His hands went still as his eyes focused out.

"…I have no heart's desire that does not have a buried pain attached to it."

The way Vincent said that was so cold and unsettling that Denzel immediately went silent, and had a sense that he regretted what he had asked in the first place.

"So…can't we just…I dunno…" Marlene began to offer. "Destroy the loudspeakers in Edge? The antennas?"

"It no longer matters." Vincent went on, looking back to his gun and working again. "Not only could we never hope to destroy every single communication device in that city, but whatever she is working on them isn't mere hypnosis. It's something that's affecting their brains permanently. It's only releasing them when they're about to die. Destroying those sources of the voice wouldn't release them."

"But it has our mom and dad!" Denzel answered with growing anxiety. "How are we going to free them without killing them?"

Vincent put his tool down and began to reassemble his weapon. "…My guess would be to destroy the source of the enchantment." He answered as he snapped his barrel back into the main weapon. "If these are the espers that Ragnar spoke of, and they are using the same type of magic that Aerith has been teaching, then it would stand to reason that the legends in the past of this being the way to break a mental enchantment is correct. Until then, however, everyone in that city will remain a slave of the caster until she falls, and will fight to the death for her goals." He connected a stock a moment later. "…Because of that, I think this may have to be something I have to handle alone."

Azure and Denzel alike formed puzzled expressions. "What?"

"I thought that you two, perhaps even Marlene, had some experience. You might have been able to help out, especially since your parents are now liabilities. However, I believe I was wrong."

Hearing this immediately incited Denzel. He heard that he had a chance to help out for once…to actually be free to do some real fighting of his own and not just practicing under Cloud. After all, mom and dad were captured or brainwashed or something. Who else was there to take up the torch and fight on? Yet Vincent's last phrase made his spirits sink before his anger burned.

"Hey!" He protested. "I can help! I can fight better than most people!"

"Yeah!" Azure threw in. "And besides…we got you out of Edge, didn't we? Doesn't that show we can handle ourselves?" He was more reserved, but he too was indignant about this. Both of them didn't want to stay behind like little children. They had been preparing for years for combat and they were ready.

"…If you go back into Edge and into Midgar, you will have to kill innocent people."

After Vincent said that, however…both youths lost quite a bit of their enthusiasm.

"…You'll have no choice, of course." Vincent continued as he turned to his ammunition and began to put it in. "But you'll have to just the same. So long as they're under control, they'll try to kill you until the moment they die. Men. Women. Children. Perhaps people you know or have gone to school with. You'll have to kill them all before they kill you. And if you encounter Cloud or Tifa or Barret…you'll have to readily attack them as well, or you'll be at a severe disadvantage that could cost you your life. Do you think you could be prepared to murder your own parents?"

Both boys were silent at that. Denzel's voice caught in his throat. He tried to respond…but it was no use. He felt a knot tie up inside his belly. The truth was…he had been upset when he heard Marlene drive over all those people. And though he had managed to fire his weapon at the cars, he didn't know what he'd do if Cloud or Tifa came at him…knowing that he'd have to seriously hurt them…perhaps kill them…to save himself… He wasn't sure he'd be able to do that even if his life was on the line.

"…We can't just sit here." Azure finally answered. "Like you said, it _is_ our parents. We have to do something."

"Maybe I'll think of something for you to do tomorrow then." Vincent answered as he slid his completed, reloaded gun into his holster. After that, he placed his hands on the table. He tightened his grip and his jaw stiffened…but then he managed to push himself up into a stand. Once there, he seemed a bit more easier as he turned for the doorway. "…I still don't know how I'm going to get back in there alive myself."

This alerted the girl on the floor. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure how much belief they'll have in my testimony…but I'm going to city hall myself to tell them face-to-face what's gone on in Edge. A phone call, when they can't see what's happened to me or have me looking them in the eye, seems too ineffective." Vincent answered. "After that, I'll head to the nearest open store that sells sleeping bags and get a few. There's not enough space on that bed for all of you."

Denzel groaned. "Can't we do anything?"

"Watch the younger children." The dark man simply answered as he went to the door. Moments later, and he had turned the knob and opened it wide. He paused before exiting, however. "…And make sure you know who is there and what state of mind they're in before opening. Based on what Cloud, Tifa, and Barret said, it's reasonable to assume that they know the names and faces of who escaped Edge. And they're in easy driving distance to send a group of 'civilians' after them."

The dark man exited, and the door shut behind him.

The three older children were left with a sense of forboding behind them at that last statement. Denzel himself felt his eyes enlarge as he swallowed a lump in his throat. He realized that seemed like a rather distinct possibility. However, that made him think something else as well. He had said all that, and he was just leaving them behind in his room? So if anyone showed up they were just supposed to try and fend for themselves?

He was angry about this fact for only a fraction of a second, however, as he realized what the entailed. If they couldn't take care of themselves here, how were they supposed to do it if they accompanied him anywhere? He'd just have to be watching them again in a hot zone and wouldn't be able to take care of himself or any job he had to do. With that in mind, Denzel eased up a bit. He got it. This was a test. A test to see how good they could do "flying solo". Well, in that case, he was all for it. He was ready to stand his ground and prove himself no matter what came along.

He turned back to the others. Marlene was rather incredulous and Azure was uncomfortable. Before the former of the two could say aloud what Denzel had been thinking first, he cut her off. "Alright…I'll take the door shift if Azure has the window. Marlene can sleep for an hour and then switch with one of us."

* * *

Kalm was fairly close to the ocean. Enough to get in fresh catches, at the very least. As a result, there were a few places in Kalm that served up rather good seafood. Not as good as Junon…at least, not as good as Junon before the discovery of mako…not as flavorful as Costa Del Sol, and definitely not as exotic and delectable as Wutai. But there were one or two that operated out of local fishermen that specialized on the fish that lived in the northern seas. That, more than anything, was what attracted customers.

That said…there were a few other "dives" further up toward the coast that gave you far less. Outside of the fish markets there were a few stalls that gave somewhat palatable meals, but the far majority of them were minor shacks opened by people who had fled Midgar earlier for a more personal life. And since the northern seas were "upstream" of most of the pollutants from Midgar, it seemed a good enough place. These ones specialized in progressively less and less cooking utility until what you had left was a salty man who would fry whatever he had caught and call it a specialty.

There was one particular stall right at the seaside. It was old and weather-worn, seeming to only accommodate enough room for the slightest cooking apparel and two tables with four chairs outside. Nothing special or remarkable, and nothing that pleasant considering the fact that the tackle and other appurtances that the proprieter of the shack owned were scattered around. As such, any appeal that the breezes of the ocean or the feeling of spray might have had were negated by the smell of dead, rotting fish material. Yet the owner himself didn't mind. This was merely a way to get rid of surplus bycatch. Whatever he didn't eat got put on display until someone else ate it. If not, they'd merely starve and get put into chum.

The owner himself was asea and likely sleeping at this time of night. The only living thing left at the stall was inside a glass fishtank he kept out to attract customers. And right now, it had something that was on its last legs. An eel. It wasn't one of the longer, slippery, slimier ones. This one had to have been a predator, with large jaws and a thick body. Normally it would have been in crevasses. This one had picked the wrong time of day to change holes and gotten swept up. Now it was slowly starving and awaiting the blender like its forebears. Until that point it was swimming about in a grimy tank, slowly depleting what oxygen was inside it.

That was when it received a vistor.

Though it was an underwater creature, the eel could respond to light. And suddenly its eyes were filled with an electric glow, something far brighter than the filtered sun that it had seen shining down above it for the duration of its life. The creature's primitive brain immediately reacted in fear, and as a result it shrank back as far as it could, which was less than a foot as it pressed itself against the rear glass. It attempted to squirm out soon after, swishing about the back and moving to the surface and down again, trying to find an aperture it hadn't noticed before. It wasn't struggling as vigorously as it had earlier when first caught. In fact, its movements were slight by comparison. However, it was for nothing. It could find no exit, and soon the figure was drawing closer and closer to it.

While attempting to flee, the eel did catch a glimpse of the source of the glow. However, there was nothing there to see. It only saw some twisted creature that was vastly different from any other organism it had ever known, much as the fisherman had been who had caught it. When the form stopped next to the case, it only tried to get away faster.

It was only then that something called out to it. Something that it could understand. And when it heard this, it went still and quiet. It stopped thrashing and settled to the bottom. It turned its head around toward the front of the glass, and slowly pumped water over its gills. It grew rather docile as it continued to hear the voice.

It could see itself dying. It was obvious to the creature already, after all. It was running out of air and it was starving to death. It was already running on adrenaline and fear to keep it alive. Even if it could be plucked out of its cage and thrown back into the ocean, the temperature shock would finish it. And it was too weak now to hunt for food or even hide itself in a hole to go out and strike for prey. And so, the voice asked it for a favor. Asked it if it was willing to surrender its body to another while it still had life in its bones.

The eel was in pain and suffering, and it didn't wish for it to linger any longer. Not when it knew death was already inevitable. It agreed.

There was one thing before the light departed. Up above the eel, it saw water pour down on it. It had seen this before during rain, but never like this. Never coming down so briefly and all at once. After that, the light vanished. The eel was left alone again. Yet on it lay, settling at the bottom and still pumping the water over its gills.

It continued to do so…until the traces of the water that had been added to its pen reached its gills. And for a brief moment, the eel was at peace. It was the cleanest, purest, richest water that it had ever felt rush into it. The creature felt refreshed and filled. As the water flooded through it, enriching more and more of its body, it thought for a moment that it could breathe so well on it that it could leap out of the tank and sail off into the sky, living forever on the water that had passed into it.

Then…it returned to the Lifestream.

Another emerged and took its place.

About fifteen seconds later, the tank shattered. In a deluge, the filthy water rushed out in one small flood. Yet that wasn't all. A large, slippery, black creature dumped out onto the ground after it, landing with a wet smack. One could only assume it was the eel, although at this point it was as wide around as drainage piping and as long as a car. Its sheer size had shattered the small aquarium. There it lay for a moment as the water from the ruined tank dripped out. It almost looked dead.

But after about a minute, the thing's flesh began to tighten. Its body shortened and its muscles went to work. Slowly, it twisted itself around until it appeared to get on its belly, although the eel shouldn't have had one. Yet its head orientated itself toward the ocean. After that, it began to slowly slide, more like a snake than an eel, or, more appropriately, like an earthworm struggling to get back into soil in terms of how much trouble it had. Yet as it drew closer, ocean spray swung up and smacked against the shore. It let small amounts of foam strike the creature. And when it did…the thing appeared to get a bit stronger. It pushed a bit more. And as it drew nearer and greater amounts hit it, it went faster and faster, seeming to get more and more power into its body.

Finally, it reached the edge. Without any hesitation, it threw its head over the side and dove into the briny liquid. After that, it vanished out of sight. But if one was to look into the ocean at that moment, they would swear they almost saw a long, sinewy shape in it, growing longer and larger as it seemed to swim away.

* * *

Rex let out an exhale as he finished pushing the dolly with the case on it, and then let it down to a rest. For his constitution, it was still quite heavy even without some cylinders, and he wiped away at his forehead as he caught his breath.

Mack himself was stretching his arms and legs as he walked off of the gangplank into the airship. Landing hadn't been a problem. The tarmac had been cleared already, and he pretty much just had to find an open space to put the ship down into a ground hover. After that, automated systems had opened up a side ramp from the lowest level of the ship, and the crew was free to exit. That led to Shelke coming off immediately with Shalua hobbling behind as best as she could. Rex had been next, wheeling out what cargo was left, and Mack was now leaving last. As soon as he was out, he turned back to the ramp and immediately lifted up on the end of it. It went in response, and soon returned to the main body of the airship and clicked into place.

Although the tower was indeed manned for emergency landings, the airfield was almost as empty as the one back in Gateway had been. The lights were on to illuminate it, but the hanger, the airship gate, and much of the rest of the surroundings were closed. The nearest activity that anyone could see was about a playing field ahead and across the street. There was an open bar there that looked after the style of the "olde time pubs". A few vehicles were parked outside of it and a few other drunken patrons were exiting it. Other than what little noise they were making that echoed to them, there was nothing but their own sounds.

"Yeah…here we are." Rex stated as he leaned up, putting a hand to his side and waving the other in front of him. "In Kalm…and without any idea about what we're going to do. Our giant bird bugged out on us and so now we're stuck."

"I'm kind of wondering myself what we're going to do next." Mack threw in as he turned back. "I mean, if all this crazy crap is happening, then I'd like to lend a hand. But I don't know how other than trying to call in on the main office."

"But what do _we_ do?" The student answered. "I mean…do we wait here until that bird comes back? Try to hole up somewhere? What?" He turned his head back around to the only other person he could consider had seniority. "Dr. Rui? What are we going…?"

Rex cut himself off a moment later, however, as he saw that the doctor wasn't paying attention to him. She was standing a bit further ahead and looking out in front of her. Beyond her, making a pretty good pace away from the airship and the other three, was Shelke. Her back was to them and not looking around.

"Shelke! Where are you going?" Shalua called out, halfway moving after her as she walked away.

"…I haven't needed you in over ten years. I don't need you now." Shelke responded without turning back. "I'm going back to DeepGround alone. You'll only slow me down."

"Shelke, don't go back there by yourself!" Shalua called back, still trying to follow. But despite this, the distance was widening slowly. "You don't know what's going on over there!"

"I know my way around far better than the rest of you." Shelke answered. "And even before the change in command, DeepGround was more than capable of getting rid of potential intruders and staging sentries in their place. Why else do you think Edge never realized we had opened it up? Or that they never even received a day's worth of silence from Mr. Vice's 'garrison'? I'll still be at a better advantage. And if it is that bad…then you can't help me anyway."

"What if they put that suit on you again?"

This was probably one of the only thoughts left on the face of Gaia that could make Shelke's step slow. However, it took only a moment for her to keep going. "…I'll probably be dead by then. I have little energy left, and the strain will likely kill me."

"Shelke, don't go alone!" Shalua insisted.

The girl slowed down again here, surprisingly enough. She continued to do so until she had come to a halt. After that, she stood with her back to the scientist. Shalua stopped on seeing this.

"…I know what you're trying to do." Shelke flatly stated.

Shalua didn't answer.

"It's too late." The girl continued. "I don't care if you're looking for a chance at redemption or an opportunity to 'look out for my little sister'. There's nothing left for you to save. Your time came and went long ago. Even if I did want your help, I wouldn't need it anymore. I can take care of myself now. And if you regret that…then you should have tried harder when you had the chance."

Shalua stepped forward again. "Shelke…"

"Leave me alone." She coldly answered, cutting her off and stopping her in her tracks. "Do yourself a favor and think of me as still dead." Without another word, she continued her pace toward the street and the bar beyond.

Shalua tried to protest…but by now, she realized it was futile. And so she just stopped in her tracks and watched her as she went. Behind her, Mack was still too dumbfounded by the whole series of events to do anything. Rex was hesitant himself, but far more at a loss. They had already lost his boss and the giant bird. Now this girl was leaving too? He would have protested, but he assumed that the scientist knew what was going on. Shalua didn't try to stop her though. She kept watching as she went across the entire tarmac and to the street beyond. It took about a minute of silence for her to go that far. Once she was there, she continued going, moving straight for the bar.

"Um…shouldn't we stop her?" Rex finally called out.

The scientist didn't answer. She kept watching. Far in the distance, Shelke reached the bar, and went to one of the motorcycles. They couldn't tell what she did exactly from this far away, but she did appear to sling her body over the seat of one of them. She bent over and did something to the controls. Given her background, she probably hotwired it. A moment later, and the engine began to blare. The vehicle backed up out of its space, and then took off down the street. A few seconds afterward, and a person dressed in leathers came out, cursing up a storm and vainly trying to chase Shelke down the street. He soon stopped and simply screamed obscenities.

Shalua exhaled, her own eyes grown dim. Once it reached this point, she didn't react anymore. She didn't show of any further emotion. She simply turned and looked back to the others.

Rex, however, was more confused.

"…Did she just steal that guy's bike?"

* * *

In an alley somewhere in some dark corner of Kalm, cleaner than a big city yet still filled with garbage and dank grime, a creature was lying down to die.

No one would miss it. After all, it wasn't like it was a human…although there were some places in the world where even that wouldn't matter. But no, it was something regarded even lower than that. A dog. A stray, as anyone could tell by the looks of it. One that had seen severely hard times in its long life. For years it had roamed around the outskirts of that town, living on scraps, garbage, and the occasional item of urban prey. Once in a while a child threw something to it. But that was back in the prime of its life. Those days had come and gone since then. Now most younger children mistook the dog for a large rat. Now people chased it away whenever they saw it loitering around their trash.

The dog had been silver-furred in the prime of his life, but one could hardly tell that now. The undercoat was gone, destroyed by mange. The guard hairs were following quickly. Most of his skin was severely irritated from where he had gnawed on it endlessly. One of his eyes was white and dead. One of his legs was missing and so was most of his tail. If that wasn't enough, the dog had large lumps inside its belly that represented cancerous masses. The last few years had indeed not been kind.

The dog used a bag of soft waste for its pillow as it lay against it. Its breathing was slow and long. Its one remaining eye was turned out, and darted around slowly as small whines of pain went out from his nose. It hadn't had anything to eat in a while, and it was starving. But the pain was fading as the body realized that it was too late to save it. Now it would just let its owner rest. And so it was, waiting for its last few moments.

It was at that time that the bird came to it.

The dog became aware of the glow even before it could sense the bird. Its pupil contracted, and it orientated its head slightly toward the incoming creature. It stared only a moment. He, like all other dogs, could sense an intelligent, reasoning spirit when one came. And as a result, it wasn't completely terrified into attempting to flee or hide. Yet it was still a stranger. And so he only weakly lifted his head and stiffly turned it toward the incoming bird. The end of his tail wagged as best as it could with the little power left inside it.

The bird continued to approach. Once it was close enough, it began to bend low over the dog. Seeing that it might desire to hurt it, the dog put its head down and struggled to get into a submissive pose, rolling onto its back and exposing its belly. But it hadn't the strength left for that anymore. As such, he could only lie as the bird came over him.

Soon after…he heard the offer.

The dog agreed. After all, it was water. Water might have been the only thing left to ease its few final moments.

There was an old dish thrown in among the rest of the trash. The bird brought it out, and then poured the bowl. It cautioned the dog. It said it would hurt. However, it didn't stop him. He knew better. As soon as the bowl was filled, the dog immediately sprung to life, pouring everything left that it had out in one final motion. It forced itself onto its three legs and bowed its head into the bowl. Then, as quickly as it could, it lapped up the water as greedily as it could.

After that, the dog collapsed. His body almost immediately seemed to go numb. Even the sensation of burning…of live fire inside his mouth…began to fade almost as quickly as it gained intensity. The dog had done that on purpose. He had given up the last bit of power he had to drink, so that death was now closing in on him, keeping him from feeling anything else. Hence, the dog was peaceful even as the blood in his veins turned to fire. He barely blinked as his eyeballs seemed to start to melt, and his brain began to boil. The only sensation he truly had was of release…

The bird departed, and the dog slumped, appearing dead as he lay against the ground. Yet it didn't last. Slowly, more guard hairs seemed to grow from him to replace a bit of his old fur. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to notice. That was because they were a bright red color. The scars around where his missing leg and tail were began to fade. The slightest amount of bone and flesh was added on to both. Last but not least, the wetness on the alley appeared to vaporize beneath the dog, and a layer of steam began to lift from the alley.

A few minutes later, and both eyes opened. One was still pale and dead…but the slightest trace of color was in it. It was the same color as what the other eye had become…bright and fiery red.

With seeming new strength, the dog slowly began to push itself up. It needed to look for heat and fire.

* * *

As soon as the door had swung open, Mack reached in and flicked on the light switch. The interior of the small room was illuminated. Its desk and chair, its two chairs for visitors, and the assortment of aviation paraphanalia that lined the walls were exposed. There was also a lot of paperwork on the desk and a few file cabinets, but none of that concerned Mack or the two he had behind him. He took a look around to the windows that were in front of the room and saw that the blinds were shut. Once he confirmed that, he gave a nod and walked inside.

"This isn't technically _my_ office, but it can rotate between administrators, and I am both pilot and administrator for the parent Highwind Enterprises branch." Mack explained as he stepped inside. "Probably not the best spot in the world, but you can set that crap down in here and hang tight for a while at least. If you're wanting to stay close to the ship in case that bird comes back, this is as good as anywhere else on the airfield."

"…That's good enough for me." Rex grunted as he pushed the case inside on its dolly. He had a bit of trouble negotiating the doorway, but in the end he managed to get it through and put it inside. He wheeled it in a bit farther to make sure the doorway was clear before he set it down, and then he slumped and huffed once again. Coming in a bit slower behind him, looking rather preoccupied now, was Shalua. Her face was mostly blank as she entered. Once she was inside, she readily stepped out of the way as well. Mack turned and shut the door again behind them. The pilot had taken them into the terminal building at the airfield in Kalm. Once there, he had led them through the main hall until he took them into the main office for the building administrator. It had a lock on the door, and a window with blinds that overlooked most of the main hanger and the exterior, including Mack's airship.

"Alright…" He said as he moved over to the phone sitting on the desk table. "First things first…let's check in on the main office." Rex didn't answer this himself. He just sat down in the chair and tilted his head back, relaxing. Shalua moved to the window. She said nothing, but shifted one of the slits and looked through it. The pilot himself went to the phone and took up the receiver. He held it to his head and began to dial…only to groan and slam it down again.

"I don't believe this…" He sighed.

Rex's head snapped up. Shalua, on her part, barely seemed to register that anything had been said. "What is it?"

"Some BS recording about the phone service being down. This is ridiculous…" Mack answered as he went feeling around in his pockets. A moment later, he came out with a cellular. It was essentially the same principle that the systems in the airship ran on. While on board, he hadn't the need to use it. But now that he was off, he began to flip it open and dial. Yet he soon sighed again. "There's no signal in this damn building… I'm going to have to step out from the hanger." He began to turn toward the doorway.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" Rex answered as he began to stand. "I need to get in touch with the university and make up some excuse. I should have called them a few hours ago."

Mack stopped and turned back to him. His eyebrow crooked as he frowned. "…Well, you're not using my minutes."

"I've got a phone credit card in my wallet…" Rex answered with a bit of a strain on the end, as he turned his hand around and began to reach into the back pocket of his pants. "I just need to find a working phone."

"Good luck with that if the phone lines are dead." Mack answered as he turned back to the door and opened it up. "There's a pay phone about a block away that uses wireless systems though. Maybe you'll have some luck with that."

Rex nodded and soon went under Mack's arm and out before him. The pilot frowned a bit at this, but then turned back to Shalua. The scientist had stopped looking outside of the window and turned back to them at this point. He spoke out to her with a nod. "Hang tight in here. I'll be gone twenty minutes at the most."

Shalua said nothing in response, but bowed her eyes down. It seemed to be an indication of acknowledgement. Mack, never one to dwell on things like this, soon exited as well and shut the door behind him. A click went off a moment later as he locked it with his keys. Shalua could still unlock it from the inside of course, but he had left them in the door and used the opportunity as he pulled them out. After that, he withdrew.

Shalua was left alone in the office…with the case.

* * *

"Marlene. Marlene!"

Denzel's voice as well as his shaking of his friend went on a moment longer before bearing fruit. The girl, who had managed the difficult task of falling asleep while somewhat sitting up, propped against the small bed that Vincent had, fluttered her eyes and began stretch. She gave a deep inhale, characteristic of people coming out of a rather nice nap. Her hands balled into fists and went rigid alongside her. She turned her head out and looked to who had aroused her, and found herself staring straight at Denzel.

"Come on. It's time to switch out with Azure." He instructed her.

The hour had been pretty uneventful. Denzel had gone rigid with the sound of every person who moved around downstairs, and had gotten suspicious whenever he asked Azure if he saw anything and the youth responded in the affirmative, even if the person passing was an old lady or a drunk. The only significant changes that had happened in the past hour was that the one blanket was stretched over all three children in bed, and Azure had begun to look rather bored.

That was, until he heard what Denzel had just said.

The older-looking boy turned to him immediately. "Hey! I'm still wide awake! She can switch with you."

"…Mmm…is Vincent back yet…?" Marlene asked as she stretched a bit more.

"What are you talking about?" Denzel called back. "You've been closing your eyes off and on for the last thirty minutes!"

"Well you were sitting on the ground with your arms crossed and your head bowed!" Azure parried. "You wouldn't have woke up until they kicked the door in and hit your head!"

"Hey! I'm taking this seriously! You're the one who keeps sounding bored whenever I ask him anything!"

"That's only because you ask me every two minutes, and that's because you need something to keep you awake!"

Marlene sighed. "…Can you guys wake me back up when you decide which one of you is going to switch out…?" She asked as she began to nod again.

"I do not! And I can stay awake all night easy!"

"Oh, yeah right. You could never stay up all night until you were twelve!"

"Shows how much you know! I stayed up all night on that boat when we went to the Northern Continent!"

"Marlene said she had to keep you awake!"

"She did what?! Marlene, did you…"

"Wait a minute!" Azure abruptly cried out, much louder than before. One of his hands raised and made a waving motion downward. "Shut up, shut up! I'm seeing something!"

Hearing this immediately made Denzel clam up in mid-sentence and turn his head to Azure. He rose to his feet a moment later and rushed to the window himself. At that point, a Dual Horn could have stampeded the front door and he probably wouldn't have noticed it, but luckily it didn't matter. Marlene herself immediately woke up again and looked out to them. The kids stirred a bit, but they stayed asleep. Everyone immediately went silent, and the room became still as the two boys looked outside once again.

There was a group of people walking down the street. There were six of them in all. They didn't stand out in terms of personal appearance. Their dress was normal and seemed appropriate to Edge, and since that wasn't far from Kalm that didn't create much of a problem. It might have been a bit more unsettling that the street was not experiencing much volume at this time of night. Another thing might have been that all looked rather large and physically sound. However, concerning two boys who had lived in an urban area their whole lives, who likewise had a father who taught them how to notice certain things, they realized that not all was right with the picture.

One was that they were wearing either hats or sunglasses. Cloud had once told them while that might look nice in movies, in the middle of a street at night it usually only meant that you didn't want anyone to notice part of your face. Two of them had large coats with hands in their pockets bulging them out. It wasn't raining and it wasn't that cool, and so it was more of a possibility that they were concealing a weapon. And the fact that one of them had more of a trench-sized coat unbuttoned meant that he could easily flip up a long-barreled weapon while the whole time looking like he just had his hand in his pocket.

But perhaps most conspicuous of all was that they were six different people, and yet their heads and necks stayed focused directly ahead of them. They were clumped together like a group or friends would be, and they weren't saying a thing to each other. And when they came to a stop a moment later, they didn't lean on a wall or loiter or anything else. They continued to stand and stare down the small road. However, where they had stopped was enough to make both boys nervous. It was no more than fifty feet from the entrance to the building where Vincent's room was located.

Denzel backed up, although Azure used his height to keep looking. Luckily for him, the blinds had been angled downward, so that he could view them somewhat without moving aside a slit. His friend, however, soon began to look nervous. He turned to Marlene, who was beginning to rise at this point, now wide awake.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Denzel quickly motioned a finger to his lips. "Shh! I don't know if they can hear what's going on in the buildings!" He whispered.

"They who?" Marlene answered with her own whisper as she got closer.

"These five guys out there. I don't think they're tourists. I think at least two of them have weapons."

"I'll say." Azure whispered back. "Look at them now, Denzel."

The youth turned back to Azure, and noticed he was still looking out the window. Immediately, the boy moved back in and peeked out it again, this time trying to stand on his tiptoes so that he didn't have to bend the blinds. He didn't get that good of a look, but he was able to see that a third one had done something new. He had managed to produce from behind him an item that neither he nor Azure had noticed before.

The official name that Denzel recognized was a Zweihander V.11, Tempered Version. The common "street name" was simply a "Hardedge". The original model that Cloud had carried, which had been the standard issue in post-war Shinra SOLDIER branch was the Zweihander V.8. That one had the problem of an edge that dulled quickly and was too heavy even for most SOLDERs to use accurately. In a short time, it was useful only as a bludgeoning or breaking weapon unless wielded by a person with exceptional skill or power, such as a 1st Class SOLDIER. This led it to commonly be called a "Buster Sword". By comparison, the Hardedge was made with a mythril edge, decreasing its overall weight and allowing far longer retention of its sharpness. A full mythril blade was better, but the Shinra Corporation wasn't about to spend an extra 5,000 gil per SOLDIER to give it to them, and the only reason the "mythril sabers" of Kalm were cheaper because the mythril was typically very unrefined and poorly tempered, making something that was superior to a Buster Sword but inferior to a Hardedge. The bottom line was that the Zweihander V.11, Tempered Version was a special issue blade that only was dispensed to SOLDIER units. A few had illegally found their ways onto the market, but since Shinra had failed they had dried up as well.

Yet one of them was pulling one out and starting to wield it. And despite the fact that Denzel knew that these people represented a danger, and that he knew that only people who were involved in illegal activity would be holding one, he couldn't help but gape in awe at seeing one.

"Are they coming here?" Marlene asked in a harsh whisper. She might have asked it once already, but Denzel was too busy salivating at the weapon to notice.

At any rate, Azure was the one to answer. "I don't think so, but I'm not sure. They're just standing around right now…wait. They're moving."

Denzel snapped out of his weapon adoration and looked more closely. Sure enough, they were moving. They were coming toward them from across the street. For a moment, the youth panicked, and the only image he got of the Zweihander V.11, Tempered Version (street name: "Hardedge") was it being shoved through his body. He almost snapped off of the window to dive into the closet for any gun of Vincent's that was working that he could use. But then, he noticed that they were turning again and stopping. This particular roadway of Kalm was more accustomed to coach traffic as opposed to motor vehicles, and so as a result it wasn't terribly wide. Because of this, the six were able to spread out in single file fairly easily. Their eyes stayed focused ahead.

Moments later, all three older children caught the sound of something. It was distant, but had suddenly become audible. It sounded like a loud, sputtering engine. Based on its sudden appearance, it appeared as if it had just turned a corner. It also began to grow louder. In response, the swordsman put his weapon in front of him. The man in the trench coat flipped it up, revealing that he was indeed holding a shotgun beneath it. The other one with hands in his pockets pulled out twin Peacemakers, rather high-calibur handguns. Two more pulled out smaller ones, while the last one, and largest, seemed to dip his hands into his pockets and emerge with the type of metal knuckle gloves that Tifa sometimes used. In addition, he undid something from around his waist, and soon revealed that he had been concealing a rather long length of chain with what appeared to be a large meathook on the end. He began to swing it around as he kept his gaze calmly ahead.

"What now?" Marlene asked as she tried to push herself up to the window.

"…I'm not sure you want to know." Azure answered with some anticipation in his own voice. "And right now, I really hope they aren't here for us."

The six continued to stand their ground. The only sign of motion was from the man swirling his chain around. He was on the far side. The one with the sword was nearest to the three. The sound of the sputtering engine continued to draw nearer. Once it got close enough, Marlene began to look confused herself.

"Hey…is that a motorcycle?"

Denzel didn't turn back, but he had to agree with her. It did sound like a motorcycle. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed. The glare of a single headlight began to bleed into their field of vision. The sound of the motorcycle drew nearer and nearer as it did so. A bit later, and Denzel began to realize that whoever these people were, they had to be visible to whoever was drawing closer. Yet as they themselves began to be bathed in the glow of the incoming headlight…something contrary happened. The approaching engine gunned faster, accelerating. It was going to go past them or run them over. When the two boys saw that, it began to become clear.

"They're trying to stop whoever's on that motorcycle." Azure announced.

The beam began to narrow again, showing that whoever it was driving was almost on them. As it did narrow, at last a reaction occurred. The ones in the middle began to move back. They kept their guns aimed ahead, but didn't look ready to be run over. They were opening a route, it appeared.

That was all that Denzel was able to clearly see. What happened over the span of the next couple of seconds took some time to process before he could understand what had occurred.

In the next instant, the motorcycle came into vision. With the darkness and glare of the headlight on it, it was impossible to see accurately who was driving. However, it was moving fast. It would clear the area of the street in an instant. That was when Meathook reacted. Abruptly, he swung out with his chain. He didn't try to peg the driver as he or she went by, but instead cast the hooked end with incredible force across the street. The teens actually felt the building crack a bit as the hook of the chain pounded through the structural framework. The man immediately snapped it taut, hooking the line, and effectively created a chain trip line stretching across the road.

Although Denzel later realized it had to have happened in an instant in darkness, the driver of the motorcycle somehow saw the sudden trip line appear and attempted to counter it. The motorcycle slowed somewhat as it was sharply angled to one side. For a moment, Denzel thought that the driver was trying to pull off a movie move and drop the motorcycle into a horizontal skid just low enough to clear the chain. But if that was the case, it was still too slow. A moment later, the driver collided with the chain. As the motorcycle continued beyond, rolling beneath the chain and on, maintaining its balance for a moment before collapsing and grinding, the driver was snapped off of the back of it, allowed to continue forward momentum for about a foot, before the recoil flung him or her backward the way she had came. The body was cast about ten feet back before snapping off and falling to the ground. It skid another five feet before stopping.

The blur of action was over, and the two (now three, with Marlene moving in and pushing up the blind) saw what was happening next clearly. The gunmen rushed in like a flock of vultures on a piece of prey. Their weapons went out to the fallen individual and prepared to fire. Swordsman came in behind, while Meathook ripped his chain out of the wall and began to coil it back up. Shotgun seemed to be the most ready to fire, and as his barrel swung down, the three heard the sound of a shell exploding.

Yet at the same exact time, Denzel caught a blur of legs shooting upward, as if whoever was on the ground was not bloody, dazed, and unconscious as any normal person should have been after what had just happened, assuming they weren't already dead, but managed to flip their lower body upward. Denzel caught for a brief moment that the clothing was simple…just shorts and sneakers. Most of the legs were bare skin, and as a result had a few bloody scrapes. However, the move had to have been sufficient to put the legs' owner out of the range of the shotgun shell. An instant later, and the legs went down and appeared to cause a snap effect. The driver's body was immediately yanked up to its feet from the counterbalance. A second later, and the driver appeared to defy physics. His or her body shot out from the midst of her enclosing attackers, rushing through the space between two of them as if they weren't even there, ricocheting off the wall of the buildings closest to them, and then shot back and smashed his or her foot into the back of one of the light pistol heads. He too soon went sprawling and fell on his face as the driver reset and landed with only the lightest tap.

"…Whoa." Was all Denzel could utter.

Azure, however, was far more aghast. Denzel couldn't see his expression, but he heard the surprise on his voice as he spoke aloud.

"It's her!"

Both Denzel and Marlene turned back to their friend in surprise, and saw that he was gaping at the street below. Not understanding, Denzel looked puzzled. "Her who?"

Before Azure could collect himself enough to answer, gunfire erupted outside. That turned the attention of all three children back to the road. The three remaining gunners were opening fire, and Swordsman was rushing in from behind on the driver. Marlene and Denzel looked a bit closer, and were able to see that the driver was indeed a her. A young her. She looked like she was only ten years old, and her attire seemed to confirm that. However, this person was no mere child who had stolen their parents' motorcycle. As the guns opened fire, the three teens noticed that the girl had already leapt into the air…and managed to sail far higher than any normal person could. Swordsman missed completely and the gunmen hit air. Before any of them could realize what the person had done, however, she began to fall again. As she did, she tucked herself into a ball and rotated forward. One foot protruded and tightened itself up, so that as she came down and the men were looking up to her, she swung it down and smashed it onto the other light gunner's head. Again, she landed, and again, another one of them fell.

She managed to gain some distance from Swordsman when she landed, but only a little. Now, he came forward with a thrusting motion. The girl, in response, nimbly lifted a leg and arched it, letting the sword sail beneath her and stab air. Swordsman responded by swinging his blade out and trying to hit the leg that was standing, but the girl answered by hopping over it as it came out rather nimbly. As the blade pulled away from this latest strike, both Shotgun and Peacemaker reacted. Shotgun himself dove in close to shoot at point blank range, while Peacemaker just took aim for her head. Although they came from two different sides, she seemed to see them come. As Shotgun drove his barrel forward, she rotated her body toward him, so that she spun onto the barrel of the weapon. In an instant, she was alongside him with her back touching the gun barrel, grabbing it with one arm, and lifting it slightly. She had moved so quickly that by the time Shotgun had reacted enough to fire, she was already out of range and aiming his barrel ahead of her…at Peacemaker. A boom later, and Peacemaker went down, firing his guns ineffectively into the air. The girl herself brought up her elbow on her free arm up and swung it backward. The first strike broke the nose of Shotgun. The next smashed him in the throat. She spun off to meet him face to face after that, seized his neck and skull with both hands, and brought it down to smash into her own head, hitting him with sufficient force to cause him to stagger back.

As the girl pushed him aside, she turned and began to focus on Swordsman, who was now clear of Peacemaker and Shotgun and began to advance, swinging his sword around his head. At this point, Denzel finally noticed something more realistic from the girl. He noticed that she was breathing heavily. Her eyes seemed to be cool and focused, but she was distinctly panting. Sweat was starting to drip from her brow. She was definitely showing strain. Nevertheless, she continued to react. She had to as Swordsman swung for her neck. She easily snapped her body back and went into a backward arch to avoid this. Swordsman advanced and tried to cleave her from overhead when she did that, but she merely did a backflip in response, letting the sword go harmlessly past her legs and strike ground. When she completed her backflip, she got back to her feet, and immediately began to spring around on them with poise and agility.

Swordsman continued to advance. He swung at her once. Twice. Three times. Each one was not just dodged, but sidestepped. She seemed to almost be skating on the pavement. When Swordsman moved from slashing to try another thrust, this one at the face, she reacted differently. The blade went forward, and in response the girl advanced, swung out with one palm to hit the flat of the blade and knock it aside, and greeted the man with a jab to the throat. Yet despite the fact that he should have gagged from that, he hadn't. In fact, Denzel realized that Shotgun didn't stay down either. Her barrage had only served to momentarily stun him, and it did so here…just in enough time for the girl to back up and dodge a few crazy slashes at her.

Those didn't last. Soon, he was advancing and trying to cut her from a more focused point of view. The girl continued to dodge, but she was running out of room. Swordsman almost had backed her up to the alley wall. He seemed to notice that as well. As he got closer, he attempted another thrust, this one to hopefully smack her against the stonework so that he could follow up with a finishing blow. In response…the girl defied physics again. She abruptly sprung up and backward, launching herself into the sky, doing a backflip, and then sprawling her body out to come in contact with the building wall about eight feet off the ground, splaying her body in the process. Denzel and Marlene were justly stunned. Only Tifa had managed a move like that… Yet that was nothing compared to an instant later, when the girl sprung off of the wall again, flipped her body forward, positioned it so that she was sticking one foot forward and sailing straight, and then went over Swordsman's blade and smashed him in the face. Swordsman sprawled back, staggering on his own two feet, until he struck the wall nearest the teens and braced himself. Otherwise, he would have fallen.

Extreme as that move might have been, however, Denzel soon realized it wasn't nearly as impressive as it looked. The girl's first two kicks had disabled two of the men and they were still on the ground. Swordsman, however, began to peel his body slowly up again. Shotgun himself had gotten his bearings, and was ejecting the shells from his double-barrel to reload. Looking back to the girl, he saw why. She looked a little weak in the knees now, and she was sweating a lot more than before. She seemed to nearly be gasping, and her cool composure was now starting to fracture. Nevertheless, she continued to come. She advanced toward Shotgun, and swung her leg up and around. The result was that she kicked the fresh shells that he had produced right out of his hand.

However, if the girl was going to follow up, she never had the chance. About that time, Meathook made his move. Abruptly, the chain shot out at a twisted arc and the end hooked around the girl's head. Somehow, he managed to miss embedding the weapon in Shotgun, and instead the end of the chain coiled around the girl's neck before the hook went just far enough to go around the chain length. He had created a noose. The girl did seem to realize this, and turned her head slightly behind her. However, she was too tired to react. Meathook gave a sharp snap, and pulled the chain taut. The noose tightened around her neck instantly, and the girl was ripped backward, nearly yanked off of her feet.

Somehow she managed to stay standing, however, and leaned back to gain her balance once again. Yet she wasn't panting anymore. This was because her windpipe had just been cut. Her eyes did flash around to Meathook, and on seeing him holding the end of the chain, she quickly began to back up toward him, meaning to loosen it enough for her to get free. Her speed had dropped considerably, though, and Meathook was tightening his grip, using both hands. He made it taut as soon as she loosened it. When she realized this wasn't working and halted, he continued to yank back regardless. Her hands went up and grabbed what was around her neck, but it wasn't much use. A second later, Meathook gave a mighty snap and dragged her the rest of the way to him. Before she could react (her speed was severely cut by now), he put another length around her neck and then dragged backward, slamming her up against his own chest.

The first thing that she did once in this position was to pick up a foot and drive the heel into the man's crotch. Yet either he was immune to pain or her strength had faded considerably, because it didn't work. And from her position, she couldn't aim a good hit against his windpipe. So she made her arms into elbows and drove them into his sides with force that should have cracked his ribs. But by now, her movements were so weak that they were little more than annoying blows. If she was going to try anything else, however, it no longer mattered. Shotgun had only had his ammunition knocked loose. It was easy for him to come forward and bring out the stock to his weapon. First he gave her a blow against the side of the head. The sound of the connection made Marlene wince. She stumbled for a moment against the big man, but remarkably kept struggling. And so…another blow, this time straight against the skull, went out. As blood burst forth from her forehead, the girl went limp. That time she was out.

Meathook continued to hold her up, suspended by her own neck. Shotgun opened his barrels and moved to get more shells. But it didn't seem to matter. Swordsman was up again at this point, and he was advancing on her with blade drawn. One good stab would be all it would take to kill her…

Denzel, realizing that the fight had gone against her favor, immediately began to feel his more "heroic" parts of himself wanting to do something. However, before he could even think of how, it was Azure who broke the silence.

"We have to help her."

Both he and Marlene immediately rotated to their silver-haired friend. "What?" Marlene began to ask.

Denzel might have voiced encouragement in another moment, or asked how they were supposed to do this…but Azure didn't wait. To Denzel's shock, he simply reached down, went under the blinds, grabbed the window, and yanked it open with one quick snap of the wrist. The blinds were ripped upward in the process, but Azure didn't care. Without a moment's hesitation, to the surprise of both his friends, he simply put his leg up on the sill and went through the open window.

Denzel was amazed. He was usually the one to charge blindly into things. What had gotten into Azure? Was he…? Well, regardless, if he was, it would be something to tease him about later. His gung-ho attitude had aroused Denzel's own willingness, and before Marlene could say anything he too put his leg in the window and pushed off, pushing himself up and outside of it.

The night air was cool and windier up here. Among the rooftops of the Kalm shingled buildings, he felt it strike his skin as he came up. The roof itself didn't have much space up ahead level enough to walk on, but there was adequate and it wasn't all that high anyway. Just ahead, precariously standing on the edge of the roof, was Azure. He was glaring down on the situation below, and his hand was outstretched. Denzel knew that gesture…and was surprised that Azure so willingly did it. However, he didn't hesitate. He quickly pulled himself onto the roof as well. By now, they had to be making a lot of noise, but apparently the men below didn't notice. They were too focused on their prisoner. As Denzel came up into a standing position, they heard the gun reload and saw the Swordsman on her. It was time to react. Now or never.

With that in mind, Azure leapt off of the rooftop. Denzel followed a moment later.

Denzel was barely able to catch Azure as he came down, but somewhere in the time it took him to fall he had summoned the Masamune to him once again, and the blade had swung down and neatly taken off the end of the shotgun. It wasn't so far as to turn it into a scatter gun, thereby making it even more deadly, but rather was close enough to cut through the shells, so that the cleaved weapon began to dribble buckshot on the ground. Yet that was all Denzel saw at the moment, for that was when he landed on his own target.

Both of the teen's feet struck Swordsman at the top of the head. He was sure Swordsman was stronger than normal, but that much power impacting the top of a skull and bearing downward was too much for him to take. He immediately spilled forward, moving to sprawl out on the ground. Denzel might have stayed on his head all the way until impact, and perhaps done a bit more than knock him down… However, the youth had enough presence of mind to leap back slightly as he descended, using what normal force he had on the man to move back to his shoulders. He hit the ground a moment later head first. The sound was rather sickening on striking, and blood immediately began to gather underneath the man's head, but nothing had broken. He wasn't so sure about his upper chest, since his feet smashed against that on landing, but he didn't hesitate. Immediately, he bent down on top of him and put his knees onto the top of his back, trying to pin him down if he had managed to stay conscious through that.

When Denzel did, he looked back up to Azure. He was just in time to see the end of the Masamune strike Shotgun in the forehead. Azure might not have been as physically adept as that girl was, but his blows still packed a ton of power. And with a good solid handle, he had managed to do much better against that man than he had done with his shotgun. He also managed to catch a glimpse of something he had begun to fear already at this point. The girl's blow had broken his sunglasses off, and his eyes were now clear. And they were blood red. These people were brainwashed slaves. Soon, he collapsed as well.

The youth then turned and directed his full attention to Meathook. His blade went out and almost rested on his forehead. Meathook, still holding the girl, stared back indifferently. Denzel couldn't see under his sunglasses, but by now, seeing all of the feats that he and his crew had taken, and all the punishment they had endured...he bet his eyes were red. In the end, however, he loosened his weapon just enough to drop the girl in a heap. After that, he took a step backward, and began to swing his weapon around in a circle once again. The two stood off against each other for a moment, and just stared. Denzel turned his eyes to either, and though Meathook was indifferent, Azure's eyes were cold and hard.

After a pause…Meathook made the first move. The hook was flicked out for Azure's head. Immediately, the youth snapped his head to one side, and followed up with a sidestep. This was because Meathook immediately snapped his own line taut and brought it back, meaning to catch Azure with the hook from behind. Yet as soon as he dragged it back to the distance between his hand and Azure's head, he snapped the chain again and began to twirl it around overhead. Azure ducked this, but he was also forced to lower his blade, trying to keep the chain from wrapping around it and yanking it down.

That was a mistake on Azure's part. Since he had practiced with dull swords, he forgot that the Masamune was sharp enough to cut right through anything that would wrap around it. As it was, he rendered his body unguarded for no good reason, and Meathook seized that opportunity. Instantly, he snapped his chain back, bringing the meathook into his fist. He then advanced, and proceeded to bury his other fist, a length of chain around it, into Azure's gut. The youth's eyes bulged as he gagged in response, and backed up as his legs weakened beneath him. Meathook himself brought his fist back and smashed it into Azure's face next, causing him to go upright and his head to snap backward. He staggered back further, and it almost looked as if the fight was over.

Yet as Meathook brought up his weapon and prepared to finish the fight…Azure's face suddenly snapped back down. His lip was bleeding, but his eyes were full of fury. His arms swung up and brought the long blade of the Masamune with them. As Meathook brought his weapon down, his blade connected with it. However, of the two, Azure swung up harder, and as a result, despite Meathook's size, he managed to rip the weapon up out of his grip and send it into the air. Soon, a vertical length of chain was flying upward, and even Meathook, single-minded as he appeared to be, seemed to be stunned by the effect. That gave Azure all the time he needed to swing his blade out again and neatly cleave the chain darting in front of him, cutting the man's weapon in two.

Azure brought his blade to guard in front of him again, but Meathook had only been stunned for so long. With his hook gone, he reached out instead with his fist covered in chain. With that, he was able to grab the Masamune blade briefly and push it to one side. This enabled him to shoot forward with his other fist and seize Azure around the neck. Tall as Azure was compared to Denzel, Meathook was larger, and engulfed his entire throat with his huge hand. He crushed inward immediately, Denzel guessed, because Azure's expression immediately turned to one of agony.

As a result, the boy immediately forgot about pinning Swordsman, assuming he was still conscious, and instead began to rise, seeing that his friend might need help.

Meathook removed his chain hand from the blade and immediately pounded it forward, smashing in Azure's face while he throttled him. He did so again soon after. His face was cold and merciless, not letting up on him. Azure endured this for a moment, merely gritting his teeth and struggling to use his own power to break free. He was armed…but Denzel could see why he hesitated. Anything he did was going to wound Meathook, and he knew that somewhere inside him, large and ruthless as he seemed, was a prisoner in his own body. And so he endured.

Meathook smashed Azure in the face a third time. By now, one of his eyes was going to be black, and he was weakening. Denzel began to advance on him, though he didn't know what much he could do other than try and pry Meathook off. And based on how much strength the big guy had, he wasn't sure if he could. Yet at the same time, Azure had to have realized that he had to do something. Much as he hated this…he had to do as Vincent said and do what he hoped he wouldn't. And so, as Meathook's now bloody chain fist pulled back to take another piece out of Azure, the boy reacted.

Masamune swung in front of his face.

A moment later, and Meathook's severed hand dropped from Azure's neck as blood began to pour from Meathook's wrist onto his clothes.

Azure had approximately a quarter of a second to catch a breath…before Meathook, not missing a beat, brought his chain hand in and crushed that around Azure's neck instead. He didn't even seem to notice that he was now bleeding quite profusedly save to shift his throttling hand to the other. As a result, he could no longer bash Azure in the face, but neither had the youth managed to get much air back. He continued to be throttled for a few moments, now merely trying to endure Meathook as the man put all the force he could into snapping the youth's neck. His face turned from red to purple at this point…and he panicked and did the only other thing he could think of. He brought Masamune across again.

Another hand fell. Yet it wasn't enough. With now only bleeding stumps for arms, Meathook charged forward toward Azure anyway. Yet he didn't get far…not before Denzel leapt onto his back and put his arm around his neck. He did his best approximation of a sleeper hold to try and keep him back, and laced his legs around his waist to try and aid in slowing him down. Azure himself quickly backed up, gasping and hacking from the force of the grip around his throat. Yet even then, Meathook wasn't stopping. Not mindful of Denzel, he continued to charge at Azure, struggling to grab him. For what at this point? Denzel didn't know, but as he bit down and struggled to keep applying pressure to the neck, he felt Meathook's mouth open…as if, if nothing else, he would bite Azure to death… Denzel closed his eyes and tightened. But it was for nothing. The burly guy just couldn't be broken…

Then…it finally happened. Denzel realized he must have pinched the blood vessel right…because abruptly the man became dead weight beneath him. Within the span of a second, his forward momentum halted, and abruptly the man collapsed to the ground. He landed on his knees first before completely falling, and so Denzel had a moment to quickly release him and back away. After that, Meathook fell the rest of the way, and finally landed face flat against the ground. He didn't get up again.

Panting a bit himself now, Denzel backed up a little and looked around him. Azure was still catching his breath and doing much the same. The Masamune was lowered and was dripping blood. Four of the people in the street were lying down motionless. At least the ones that the girl had hit looked potentially dead. As for the one that she had managed to redirect the shotgun against…there was little question he was dead himself. And behind the two boys, the amount of splatter that had resulted was rather unsettling. Of course, it wasn't nearly as bad as what had happened to Meathook. He was face down but still bleeding, and he had managed to soak Azure rather well. His severed limbs were still half-curled and strewn randomly in the midst. By comparison, Denzel's defeat of Swordsman had probably just made another unconscious body. The girl herself was still sprawled out, out of commission.

A click happened behind the two, one that Denzel recognized as a door opening. As a result, he didn't turn but continued to stare. He heard a gasp from behind moments later. It was Marlene's voice. However, he didn't turn back. He could only blankly stare at what had been done along with Azure. As he continued to stare at it…the reality slowly began to dawn on him. The gravity of the situation sunk onto his brain as his adrenaline cooled. Confusion began to take root over action.

"…Sh't." Denzel finally murmured. It was all he could say.

"…Yeah." Azure managed to spit out a moment later.

Denzel's eyes glanced over the fallen and/or dead attackers. He couldn't tell if Meathook was still alive at this point. He was sure he only knocked him out…but he was still bleeding…

"What do we do?" Denzel finally asked. "I mean…they're out… But now what? I'm pretty sure the guy with the sword and the guy with the shotgun are still alive… And…this guy…" He slightly motioned to Meathook. "…I think…he's bleeding to death…"

"We…we need to call an ambulance…" Marlene slowly said from her position.

"What'll we tell them?" Azure answered. "That we just came across them all like this? And what if they're still…possessed?"

The three were silent after that. They stood and blankly stared down. Denzel realized the stupidity of this. He found it hard to believe that a neighbor hadn't heard the gunshots and that someone wasn't on their way there. And even if they somehow hadn't, someone was going to come by soon enough and see Azure covered with blood from the chest down and holding a bloody sword, standing over a guy slashed up, with all these others here dead or unconscious. Yet none of them could stand to move.

"…Alright." Denzel finally said. "Let's…see if the big guy is dead. Then we'll decide if we should call an ambulance or not…"

"…Alright." Azure answered.

Neither one moved.

"…I'll do it." Marlene's voice went out, before either of them could start childishly daring the other to go through with it. Denzel was soon ashamed at the fact that he, as much as he wanted to be brave and valiant, couldn't even see if a person was dead or not. Very slowly, he heard a crunch of shoes against cobblestone draw closer behind him. A few seconds later, and Marlene was slowly entering his field of vision. She was shaking a bit herself, and was moving in such a way to try and not step on any of the items that had been broken or slashed or any of the blood. She finally made it over to Meathook. She looked over him a moment before she got enough courage to reach her hand down to his neck. She pulled it back a moment later in hesitation, but then finally put it all the way down and placed it against his throat.

A moment later, she seemed to turn a bit pale as she looked up to Denzel.

"…He's dead."

Both boys seemed to turn a shade paler themselves. They looked up to one another, and both swallowed. That was it. Although Azure had done so before…yet under the influence…this was the first time both of them had willfully killed. And it had been an innocent human being. The worst part was that neither of them knew who had actually ended up giving the fatal stroke. Azure had lopped off both hands, and they were bleeding quite a bit… Denzel wondered if he had been the one who finished him by cutting off his remaining blood supply to his brain…or if it was the wounds Azure inflicted that carried it out. Marlene slowly drew herself up and joined the others in standing stoicly, looking down at the chaos that had been caused.

Denzel himself stayed uncomfortable for quite a while. However…he soon began to remember more things. What Vincent had told him. What Cloud had done. And he knew…or could at least logically assure himself…that Meathook was willing to keep going until he was dead. The only way to stop him was what they had done. They hadn't _wanted_ to kill him. They had no choice…

"We…we had to…" Denzel said.

Marlene paused for a moment, but then began to nod. "…That's right."

"It's…not like it was mur-" Azure began to say, but cut himself off before he said that last bit. He flashed pale again, but then quickly smoothed himself out. He finally gave a nod. "…We did what we had to."

"Right…" Denzel echoed.

There were a few more moments of silence. The three stood still, but seemed to slowly be calming down. A bit longer and Denzel began to swallow and compose himself. The others began to relax as well. Finally, he gave another nod.

"…Right." He said, more readily. He looked around a bit, but then turned back toward the doorway Marlene had come from. It was still open. "We…we need to get back inside."

Azure hesitated, but then nodded as well. Finally, he managed to move enough to take his blade up to a bare spot on his pant leg and begin to wipe it. "Alright."

"What…what if the unconscious ones wake up?" Marlene asked.

Denzel hesitated a moment in response, looking them over. "…We'll take their weapons." He finally concluded.

Marlene wiped a strand of hair from her face, but then nodded. Moving a bit faster now, but still checking around her for trouble or tracking through material, she began to move out toward Shotgun. Denzel himself began to move toward Swordsman. However, he had only managed to close about half the distance when he stopped, and turned his head to the other factor of tonight. That girl from earlier was still lying there unconscious.

As Marlene reached the man and slowly began to feel in his pockets for more weapons, Denzel turned back to Azure. His friend had quickly made the Masamune disappear, and was working his way forward. He saw Denzel, and noticed as his friend gestured to the girl. "What about her?"

"We'll take her inside with us." The teen immediately answered. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. This surprised Denzel a little, but he didn't dispute it. He merely gave a nod back, and then gestured down to Swordsman.

"…I'll help you get her in…as soon as I get his weapon."

Azure continued to advance as Denzel made his way to the other unconscious fighter. Marlene was beginning to swipe the man's shells when he got to him. Azure arrived at the girl a second later and readily began to go around in front of her to pick her up by the armpits. Yet as for Denzel, he moved his hand down to Swordsman's fingers, and pried them off one by one. He didn't have much trouble. The grip must have loosened on the way down. Soon the hands were off, and the sword was loose. Denzel reached down and grasped it…

When he suddenly realized the truth. He was picking up a Zweihander V.11, Tempered Version. The finest blade that Shinra Inc. had ever put out. And now…he realized that it was his. He certainly wasn't going to give it back to this guy. Until now, all of his weapons had been dulled or practice. This was a real sword…the real deal…as real as it had ever gotten for most people in the world. Still having some boyish naitivity and earnest within him, Denzel took up the blade and eagerly stripped the Swordsman of his concealed sheath a moment later, and then quickly put it on himself.

"Hurry up!" Azure called. Impatient at how long Denzel was taking, he had already begun to drag the girl toward the door.

"I'm coming!" A more enthused Denzel answered as he went to grab the girl's feet.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	17. Sea of Flames

And so…here she was.

Shalua had only been sitting in the office alone for a few minutes, but her mind was already ablaze with a hundred thoughts that had been building since Shelke left. Actually…that wasn't really accurate. They had been on her mind since she had first seen her again. And ultimately, the biggest question on her mind was this.

_Now that she's back…now what?_

That was something that the woman couldn't easily answer. Especially not now in the manner of which Shelke had returned. For years she had one thing in mind…and that was saving her. That was why she bore with her injuries with patience and pride. That was why she had driven herself to become the scientist and former military officer she was today. To think that it was easy to walk around as she had become was a joke. She still stubbed her hand and toes trying to reach out for things she had no depth perception of. She always had to snap her head to the left in order to see what was going on in her lost peripheral vision. She frequently suffered from "phantom limb". If anything, her nerves seemed to hate that she had put an artificial arm where her old one had been. And though her eye and arm were the most obvious, she had numerous other internal injuries from over the years. One of her vertebrae had hairline fractured and never healed properly. One of her knees had been blown out. Doing the simplest tasks took much more effort, and doing anything too long put her into chronic pain. The misery had been more than too much for her when she received these injuries, and sometime she would lie in bed, wracked with agony, and wonder why she kept doing this.

Only her memory kept her going.

And now what? Shelke had essentially spat on her injuries, her mental anguish, and everything else she had done for her. She didn't blame her sister. Perhaps she could have tried harder. Perhaps she should have done whatever it took in some cases, even if it meant her integrity and her conscience. Perhaps she should have armed herself to the teeth and hunted down her captors like animals. Or maybe she should have just never been irresponsible enough to leave her home in the first place… At any rate, she wasn't upset at Shelke for being mad. She had every reason to. Despite what Shalua had suffered, Shelke had suffered pains that the majority of people couldn't imagine. And she had been changed in worse ways than injuries to her body.

It was because Shalua was not mad at Shelke that she was so fearful now. Shelke may have improved for her pain, but Shalua had not. She had gotten worse with time. And now, when the time finally came where Shelke really could have needed her, when she could have been there now when she wasn't before, she could do nothing. She hadn't the time or the knowledge to make any sort of machine that would have given Shelke her mako treatment. She couldn't offer any special knowledge or help to make her succeed in her storming of Midgar. She couldn't get anyone to help her out or assist her in a secret invasion. She couldn't even be more than a gun.

That was what infuriated Shalua more than anything. If she could slash her own wrists and give Shelke the blood in her veins to save her life, she would do it. If Shelke's heart was failing, she'd tear out her own and give it to her. And it didn't matter to her that Shelke didn't care about her affection or love for her. She just wanted to do it. Maybe it would prove it to her one day… But none of this mattered. She could do nothing now.

The woman's eyes turned to the case in front of her, the one bearing the essences. Her vision was still blurred, but she could see it. As she stared, her thoughts began to turn to it. They started to turn what it had meant for them all over in her head. If only they could help somehow… If only she could get the power she needed to infuse in Shelke from them… If only there was a way she could use the energy they had… It seemed as if providence had put these things in her reach as well as Shelke. Mako was nothing more than spiritual energy itself, correct? These espers themselves used spiritual energy, right? If they themselves were a source of this power…then was it possible for them to grant it to another?

Shalua didn't know. Yet as the thought occurred to her, she found herself wishing she had thought of this earlier. Said it when Quetzacoatl was still with them. If she had been, then perhaps she could have asked her to do something. Perhaps she could have somehow infused her power over lightning into Shelke somehow. And yet…at the same time, she doubted it could. The electrocution of Shelke certainly hadn't extended her lifespan… This wasn't like some sort of old horror movie. You couldn't wire a person up to a lightning rod and expect a bolt to cure cancer. No…it wasn't going to work like that…

That, however, was when an idea occurred to her. A memory from the earlier studies.

_…Wasn't one of the essences called "Life"?_

The thought made her pause. Yes…Quetzacoatl had taken Fire and Water with her. She learned that by having Rex look to see what cylinders were left. But one of the remaining ones was called Life. Quetzacoatl had power over Lightning. The minotaurs had power over Earth. Perhaps the one that was in the essence of Life had power over Life. Perhaps there was a chance that their energy could be used to regenerate and heal. The more Shalua thought of that…the more she realized it had to be true. There might still be a way to help Shelke. And even if it didn't work…what else was there that she could do in such a short period of time? Wait for Quetzacoatl? For something that had far less chance of working?

Irresponsible as Ragnar had cautioned her, and as irresponsible as she thought it was…she decided. She was going to bring that esper back. There was a chance that it could fail…that she could bring back a dark esper instead… And even if not, then what? The esper wouldn't know her or Shelke or anyone. Yet it was a chance that Shelke was willing to take anyway. This was the only thing she had left that she could do.

However…there was still one item left even if she ignored all of the rest.

Who would give up their life for the essence of Life?

The scientist hesitated momentarily at the thought…but not longer than that. She had told herself she would give her own blood to save Shelke. She had no life left outside of her sister. And if it _was_ her…maybe…just maybe…she could make it work. Maybe her personality could somehow exert an influence…or let the esper know what she wanted… But what if she didn't go on? What if her spirit just evaporated into nothing? And was she truly ready to die for this? In the end, she decided that she was. This was all that mattered.

The woman had decided. Quickly, she rose up from the chair where she was seated and went to the case. She had to move before someone came back and stopped her. She had a pen in her coat pocket, and she snatched the first paper off the desk that looked like it didn't have any writing on it. Although she couldn't see the words she wrote clearly, she knew what she was writing, and she quickly jotted down a message. If she couldn't tell the esper mentally…then hopefully the note would serve to remind it. There were a lot of variables in this plan, and more than one probable chance for it to go wrong. But a woman desperate to save her sister as Shalua was, and who had gotten nowhere with a life full of taking "traditional" methods, was willing to bet on anything now.

The message done, the woman took it up and unfastened a name tag lapel. She used the pin to attach the note to her own coat. After that, she got up again and went to the case. Once she had bent down at its side, she quickly opened it up.

And there, she froze. Her heart sank within her and cursed her clumsiness as the true snag to her plan emerged.

Her glasses were broken. She couldn't read the labels on the essences.

Desperately, Shalua's face tightened as she snatched a cylinder out. She held it in front of her face. Nothing. She tried pulling it back, seeing if it would become clearer. It did a little…but not enough. She'd have to stand across the room. And by then, she wouldn't be able to resolve it either. Furious and distraught, the woman nearly threw the cylinder back into the case to break it. Now what? If she waited for the others to come back and read the labels to her, they'd know what she was planning and stop her. And they could be back any minute. She couldn't try to taste it or touch it to test. That might cause a reaction as easily as drinking.

The woman was desperate, but all now seemed hopeless. She slid the cylinder back into its holder, and then looked at it plus the others. Her teeth grit in misery and anxiety. If only _she_ had been born a Cetra…if only she could hear what they were saying…

Yet that new thought brought back a memory...and with it came an idea. She decided to try one more thing. It might not work…but she had to give it a shot. Back in the well, one of the essences had drawn her to it despite her being a pure human. It might work again. The woman took a few breaths to silence herself. She relaxed her muscles and calmed down. Her eyes closed. Once that was done, she merely relaxed and attempted to focus. Focus on the silence and stillness of the room. Try to clear her mind of everything else…everything except the essences in front of her. A prayer went out in her heart that this would work here…that the right essence would pull her to it like the one earlier had.

She began to call out with her mind.

_I don't know if you can hear me… I don't know if this is even working. Maybe you only respond to hearts and spirits. If so…then my heart and soul has been aching for this so long I can't remember feeling anything else. Please answer that if you can't hear my mind…_

_My sister is dying. She's all I have left. She's been changed to the point where she needs spiritual energy to live. I know that you all can use this spiritual power. And because of that…I know you're the only hope she has. If any of you can use your power to help her…any one of you…I'll give you my body so that you can live again. I don't care. I just want her to live. I'll drink whatever essence you reside in right now if you'll save her. Please…_

Tears began to run from her closed eyes.

_Please…hear me…remember me…help her…_

The first tear ran off of her cheek and dropped. A moment later…she felt her chin touch metal.

Shalua's eyes opened again. They were red and swollen now, but she no longer cared. She realized that she had moved subconsciously again. Her body had dipped forward, and her chin had come to a rest on one of the cylinders. One of the essences had responded to her presence. One of them agreed to her proposal, it appeared.

The woman didn't waste any time. She quickly took up the cylinder. With quivering hands and trembling fingers, she fumbled over the lid but finally managed to remove it. Once it was gone, she raised it to her lips. But before she took the final plunge…before she signed the last of her life away…she closed her eyes one more time and concentrated.

_Remember Shelke… Remember Shelke…_

The fluid tipped and went over her lips, into her mouth, and down her throat.

The last thought she had happened as she began to feel herself shiver.

_Strange…why do I feel so cold?

* * *

_

Thirty minutes had gone by since Azure, Denzel, and Marlene had cleared the street. And still, no one had shown up. The bodies continued to lie in the street, along with the unconscious. Whether or not the authorities had been called, or whether or not they had been called and for some reason were taking forever to arrive, no one could say. Not just from looking down at this small lane. Vincent didn't take his place in the most populace area of Kalm, but there were enough living around for at least someone to have seen this by now. However, nothing came. There hadn't even been a distant echo of sirens yet. And whether it was due to fate or something else, none of the derelicts living in the corners of town had come down this way. Perhaps it was merely luck…or perhaps they had seen the bodies when they looked in the road, and hadn't gone there, fearing that a report to the police would call attention to their own alcoholism or drug usage, or maybe thinking it was a mob hit and it was best to keep one's mouth shut and eyes closed.

Yet even if all these things had taken effect, it was still incredulous, even bordering on impossible, that no one would have seen this yet. This was Kalm, not an area under the former plate of Midgar. And yet no one had come.

And that fact…more than anything…testified to the truth was that something wrong was starting to blow through this town.

As the minutes ticked by, feet clicked on far ends of the street. Gradually, a group of people crossed a road at the end. There were six of them. Three were wearing coats. They wore hats and sunglasses, and their eyes stayed focused forward. A few minutes later, and on the other end, a second group went by. These ones were the same. Another five minutes after they passed, another group slowly came. Yet this wasn't a gang of six. This was a police car. A police car that had been dispensed for traffic monitoring earlier that evening, and, to pass the time, had tuned in on an Edge radio station. Now the two armed policemen seemed to be scanning the street with a spotlight.

As it slowly turned…it finally settled on the wreck that had been the stolen motorcycle.

The car halted, and the doors opened.

Even as this occurred…the one who Denzel had branded as "Swordsman" opened his eyes. There was no moaning. No grunting. No turning about to try and get his bearings. Just his eyes opening. His sunglasses had fallen at this point. Red was the color. Even as he rose to his feet, the policemen had come out with guns drawn. They had flashlights now, and were scanning them over the motorcycle as they approached. They didn't even seem to notice Swordsman as he rose to full height.

With somewhat mechanical movements, Swordsman noticed that his weapon was gone. He looked over to the others around him. Four were dead. The one who had the shotgun had been disarmed. A moment later, and he too began to put his arms underneath him to push up as well. Swordsman turned his head back and looked to the last place that their target had fallen unconscious. She was now missing. There were bloodstains, but they were too small and mottled by those of his partners. Whoever had taken her had lifted her and avoided the blood. There was no trace now.

As Shotgun stood and went to Swordsman's side, the two policement began to advance on him as well. Swordsman himself held up his wrist and looked to his watch, determining how long he had been out. By the time he looked up from it, the three gathered around him. He turned his head from side to side, looking at them all, and seeing them stare plainly back. In the end, he focused on one of the policemen. In response, the officer removed his breast radio and handed it to him. He took it and put it to his lips, pressing the button.

"Is the police station secure?" He asked first, before announcing himself in any other way.

_"Yes."_ A voice replied on the other side. _"We'll be fully stationed in eight minutes."_

"We sighted S target."

_"Is target neutralized?"_

"Negative. Secondary targets intervened."

_"Location."_

"Unknown, but based on time, still in the city."

_"Understood. Plans will be accelerated. Attack begins in three minutes."

* * *

_

"So what did they say about you, anyway?"

Rex looked up a bit to Mack as he kept walking. By now, both men had managed to locate a phone, made their calls, and were now on their way back. It had taken a lot longer than either of them had expected. Mack couldn't get a signal, so he had tried the bar at first, but it was all caught up with people trying to contact the police after the motorcycle theft. So he went on down to the next block, but all the stores were closed there. It was in the early AM hours by now, after all, and he was starting to feel the strain himself. As it was, he went down two more blocks before he finally found a 24 hour bistro with a night shift willing to let him use the phone. And once he got there…the phone system was down. Luckily, as he was fuming and stepping out, his cellular managed to pick up one bar, so he managed a very static-laden call that terminated early. Yet as long as it had taken him, it had to have taken Rex even longer. He had been back at the bar for ten minutes before Rex finally showed up.

While he had been waiting for the student to return, Mack had taken in the sights around the bar. The cops never showed up, from what he could tell. That was because he kept seeing a man in leathers storm out, cursing up a storm that might have made Cid blush, while others with him struggled to calm him down. What was very odd was that it was getting busier. By now, the time was getting to be 0330 hours, and yet more groups of people were showing up at the bar. The newest patrons didn't look drunk already either. They seemed rather straight and sober, but he couldn't really tell. Based on the fact that he noticed that most of them were wearing sunglasses, and weren't going in but gathering outside, Mack began to fear that he had intruded on some sort of illegal operation. The man wasn't a coward, but he wasn't stupid either. And he noticed that the bar had been closed by then, but that people had kept gathering under the lights from the signs. He was more than little relieved when Rex showed up and the two could start heading back.

By now, they had crossed a good portion of the tarmac, and the main building loomed just ahead. They were headed for the front glass doors. As they did, and Mack began to go for his keys, Rex merely shrugged.

"I couldn't find any place I could call. I ended up going about five blocks before I found a pay phone that wasn't busted. And when I tried calling on it, the phone lines were disconnected."

Mack frowned as he reached the glass door. He pulled his key out and went for the lock. As both he and Rex talked, neither of them seemed to notice that one of the windows on the upper floor was open…

"The same damn problem happened to me. At least I managed to get a signal on my phone. A little one, but enough for me to put in a call to the main office."

"What'd they say?" Rex asked.

The lock clicked, and Mack opened the door wide. He soon began to lead the student inside, and continued to talk.

"I couldn't get all of it. Eventually I lost the signal again. But what I did get wasn't good. They hadn't gotten any contact from Edge in hours. There was a employee who kept monitoring it looking for a change…and…"

"And what?"

"I don't know. I couldn't make it out, and it went dead afterward."

Rex looked a little puzzled by this, especially since it seemed Mack had begun to say something. "That's all?"

Mack continued walking a bit farther, leading the two of them toward the door to the main office. He slowed down a moment on hearing this, however, and after pausing a bit longer…he finally said a bit more.

"…I almost thought I caught something else…but I couldn't make it out. I asked a few times, but the signal kept getting worse. I almost thought I heard them say something like the person who was monitoring it got caught trying to wire her radio to the loudspeakers…and then something like…she was biting at the throat of one of the other employees…"

Rex's look turned uneasy. "That's…weird."

Mack shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I didn't hear them right. Anyway…we're here."

The two men came to a stop at the main office door. The blinds were still closed, and the lights were still on within, visible when you drew close enough. Mack once again held up his keys, and proceeded to unlock this door as well. A moment later, and he pulled it back out as he swung the door open wide.

Both he and Rex immediately noticed something. Rex was standing to the side while Mack stood in front of the doorway, so he couldn't see in as well. But he did sense the air as it came out of the room.

"Phew…" He remarked. "The AC must be turned all the way up in there…"

A rather cold breeze had come out as soon as the doorway had opened. It wasn't especially warm in the building, and this wasn't as cold as possible. But the difference in temperatures immediately set Mack off. The smell of chemicals from the air conditioning unit hit his nostrils strongly, and he realized that it must have been turned all the way down to fifty degrees.

"Was she that hot?" Rex asked.

"I don't know…" Mack simply answered, not really caring about that. "But we can't ask her. She's gone."

Rex turned to Mack for a moment at that, but then looked back to the doorway. He inched to the side a bit and looked in. Sure enough, the office was empty.

Mack pushed past a moment later and walked inside. Rex followed right behind. The lights were still on, and for the most part things were still in order. Yet aside from the air conditioner running as hard as it could, there were other facets. Rex noticed almost immediately after entry that the case was opened. One cylinder had been taken from it and opened, and was on the ground nearby. Rex thought of investigating this, but before he could Mack was already advancing on it and bending down to the ground. And so, instead, he looked up and around the chamber a bit. He soon saw a wall unit air conditioner in one of the glass windows of the office. It was running. He moved over to it as Mack looked around.

"Maybe she went to the bathroom or something…" Rex suggested as he went to the AC. "Brr…it's down to fifty!" He quickly began to turn it off.

"Then she shouldn't have locked the door behind her." Mack answered. As Rex shut off the power, the pilot himself picked up the cylinder that had been discarded and looked it over.

"…Ice." He read from it. "That might explain it… I don't know how these things work, but if makes sense that some spirit wanted it cold in here." He looked up after that and back to Rex. Yet as he did, his attention turned to something else on the ceiling.

Rex turned around a moment later back to him, and noticed that he was looking up. For the moment, the geologist didn't look too worried or unnerved beyond the fact that Dr. Rui wasn't there. He hadn't fully understood how the essences were supposed to work, after all, and as a result it hadn't occurred to him that somehow Shalua might have drank an essence herself and given her body to an esper. He turned and looked in the same location, and saw the vent to the central climate control system for the office. It had been pried off and was now open, its grating discarded on the floor.

"Went out that way, I guess…" Mack commented.

Rex was still confused. "Why would Dr. Rui or the esper do that? The door was right there…"

Yet before either of them could puzzle over this facet any longer, both of them detected a change in the room. A very bright, vivid, yellow light suddenly erupted from behind them, powerful enough to come over their shoulders and cast a glow into the lit office. This attracted the attention of both, and immediately they turned around.

The two men were able to see back out of the office door and through the windows beyond, back to the airfield and to the docked airship. There, coming in for a landing, was the giant bird esper.

"About time someone came back instead of left…" Mack murmured as he got to his feet and quickly rushed out of the office. Rex quickly abandoned the AC and followed behind.

A few moments later, and both men were clicking against the smooth stone hall as they made their way to the front and burst out the glass doors. Mack was intent on getting to the esper before it ran off again. Luckily, it stayed put, and that was to be expected. After all, it didn't know where they were or the case, for that matter. It had initially flown back inside the top of the landed airship, but it took only moments before it came out, seeming a bit puzzled. She would have to stop by them first if she wanted to do anything else. As a result, she was still waiting by the time their feet had gone from stone clicks to sending echos across the tarmac, and turned out to them as soon as she saw the two of them approaching.

"There you are." She announced. "Where did you put the case?"

"Well, hello to you too." Mack let out as he began to draw nearer. However, he stopped from a considerable distance away. After all, he still wasn't that comfortable with this thing. For that matter, neither was Rex. He stopped even farther away. The pilot, who had expected him to do most of the talking, soon picked up on that fact. He turned and looked, only to see that the student was far behind him. He stared back and frowned, to which the student merely shrugged innocently. Somewhat slowly, Mack turned back.

"You know…you kind of left us hanging back there."

The esper seemed to sag a bit at that. "…I'm really sorry, but I don't have a choice. I needed to move fast. And I still do. I need to get at least three more samples from that case." She hesitated for a moment here, turning her head around a bit on the tarmac, before returning to Mack. "…Where's Shalua and Shelke, anyway?"

Mack let out a bit of a sigh. "Well, Shelke ran off soon after we landed. I don't know what happened to Shalua. But right now, before we get back to the case, I want to know what exactly are you doing with those-"

The pilot was cut off as a rather loud eruption resonated behind him. A tremendous blast seemed to come out from the building, and Mack felt a smack of powerful wind hit him, nearly ripping him off his feet. A deafening sound of destruction and glass shattering filled his ears, making him slam his eyes shut and cring forward. Rex stumbled forward so far that he managed to pass Mack, putting his hands behind his ears and covering them. The bird esper herself quickly ducked her head and shielded it with one of her large wings. It was good on her part too, because glass bits soon shot forward and impacted the backs of the humans and her.

Mack had no idea what had just happened, but from the sound of it, it was almost as if an explosion had gone off behind him. Yet despite that…it didn't sound like an explosion he had ever heard of, and after being in the war he was qualified to know what they sounded like. Not only that, but he didn't see the glow from light or feel the normal accompanying heat that came from such a blast as he normally did. Finally, instead of the effect ebbing with time…he continued to feel the wind smack against him as he cringed there, as if the force of the blast was still hitting him.

Then, Mack saw it. Ahead of him, the bird risked a look out from behind her wing. When she did, she quickly threw the rest of it aside and looked out behind them. Mack realized it had to be something important, and quickly turned to look as well. The wind was strong and it slapped him in the face, but he merely squinted and kept looking.

There was another one.

This one didn't take a nice, conventional shape like the bird did. This one was some sort of giant purple abomination. It looked sort of humanoid…but it had some sort of big bulbous organs for where things like eyes and nostrils should be, and it was multicolored as it spread down its body. It seemed to have some sort of hole protruding from its shoulder which was blasting out air from what looked like a giant fleshy sac over one shoulder. It was whipping what looked like minor cyclones as it stepped forth from what was the ruins of the front of the terminal. It was ripped to pieces…metal, foundations, stone, glass…everything blasted away. The debris formed a deadly twister spiraling around its body at the moment, seeming to shelter it or cover it with some layer of self-made protection.

Most of all, however, was that Mack, the bird esper, and Rex…slowly peeling himself up to look around…noticed what was in the thing's strange claws. The case.

This got their attention more than anything else.

"Well…that certainly wasn't difficult." The strange creature spoke in an odd, airy voice. The masses and hole contorted somewhat, but it was still quite impossible to tell what, if anything, this creature was capable of expressing. "Those two lunkheads must have been incompetent…" It paused a moment later…seeming to focus on the group ahead of it. "Oh…look what we have here. A couple of mortals and a winged traitor."

Mack was a bit aghast. He was stunned enough by the bird esper, and that was on their side. But this one was much larger…and more horrible looking. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do, especially unarmed and without his ship underneath him. However, the bird esper didn't hesitate long. Almost immediately, he felt another blast of wind almost knock him back as the creature took off into a hover and moved in front of them.

"Put that down right now!" She ordered.

"I don't think so, young lady." The purple one answered in its airy voice. It actually held the crate up and easily spun it on one clawed digit. "You've been making too much trouble, and our master has taken notice…how you're calling up some of your friends. Well, that's going to come to an end. I'd smash this case right now…except we realized that if the contents somehow found their way on conceivably anything…we might have another unintended esper. So we'll just have to confiscate these little treasures."

The bird didn't answer…but Mack suddenly felt the air around him begin to charge. His hairs began to raise as a cloud of electricity started to surround her. The bolts began to gather forth once again. A moment later, and the creature snapped her head forward and let out a deadly shaft of lightning, sailing for the purple monster.

Unfortunately, this one seemed to be much smarter and faster than the previous ones. With an easy hop, it leapt into the air and let the lightning singe the ground. As soon as it was up, however…the winds seemed to pick up speed around it. A faint mist seemed to generate from surrounding dust and debris, locking a sphere of sorts around its body. And when it did, it was able to stay suspended in midair and hover where it was. It still possessed the case and looked calmly below.

"You'll have to move a bit faster than that, birdie." The creature taunted. "I'll be headed back now…but don't you worry. There's plenty of friends of ours in this city now for you to play with."

In response, a rush of wind nearly knocked Mack and Rex over as the bird esper flapped her wings. The pilot raised an arm and shielded himself as he felt a few electric shocks and a blast push him back. But when he removed it and looked back up to the sky, he saw the golden creature already in midair and sailing up toward the purple one. She seemed to be gathering more electricity again too.

"Bad idea, young lady." The purple one retorted. Mack and Rex couldn't see that well, but it looked as if one of his claws maneuvered over the top of the case. A second later, and he seemed to pull something out, and proceed to drop it. "Catch."

Mack's eyes managed to zero in on the item, and his brain quickly told him it was one of the cylinders based on its size and rough shape. The bird seemed to realize what it was as well, and quickly shot after it. Despite the fact that she was well below it, she seemed to have a hard time. The object almost looked as if it had been flung downward rather than just tossed, or that some force was making it go down quicker. At any rate, the purple one used the opportunity to turn and take off full speed away from them. He made good time as well…soon growing very small as the bird was still diving for the cylinder. For a moment, Mack thought she wouldn't make it, especially as he watched the thing tumble closer and closer to the ground. But a scant five feet before impact…the golden form of the creature shot by and snatched it out of the air.

Yet if Mack did know enough of what was going on to be happy about that, it didn't matter. As soon as the bird had left his forward vision, he got a clear view of the ground from there all the way back to the bar. And something was up.

A crowd of what had to be at least eight dozen people, all looking rather rough and bearing crude weapons, were running across the street and onto the tarmac. They were headed straight for them.

The pilot felt a wave of surprise followed by fear soon afterward. Inside an airship, or armed, he might feel a bit more bold…enough to stand his ground, maybe. But right now, he had none of the above. And they were closing fast. They must have begun to come as soon as the purple one had said something. They were already reaching the extent of the damage around the terminal, and were quickly passing it.

Rex regarded it with the same level of anxiety.

"…Oh crap." The student murmured.

Mack snapped back to him. "Get in the ship."

The student turned in response, even as Mack began to move for the airship himself, taking the moment to turn and watch the crowd himself. "What about Dr. Rui?" He asked. "We can't leave her here."

At that time, the crowd of incoming people, who were beginning to look rather psychotic and wild at that, had passed the remains of the doors of the terminal, effectively meaning anyone who wanted to get there had to go through them. Some of them had guns, and they were beginning to take aim as well. On seeing that, the pilot, who had learned the hard way that some times sacrifices were necessary, realized that the option of going back for the scientist had just expired.

"It's too late." He flatly said as he pushed past the student, running up to the airship as fast as he could. They were closing too fast.

Rex looked out again, and with a look of fear and regret he realized that such was the truth. The terminal was cut off. He still didn't like the idea of leaving, especially with how few of them were left. He nervously looked between the mob and Mack, and then to the sky for any help. However, the bird esper, as Mack had noted himself, had bailed as soon as she had taken the cylinder. They were alone again. Without any other option, and beginning to feel terror inside again, Rex turned to the airship and began to run up to it.

As for Mack, he had reached the side, and moving as quickly as he could got out his keys once again. Luckily, he could remain cool under pressure, even if it was lethal. He wouldn't have made a good ace if he couldn't. The keys were soon out, and he inserted them into a slot on the door. He began to turn as Rex came up to him. He couldn't stop himself, however, and a moment later he smashed into Mack. Both he and the pilot spilled forward, and Mack lost his grip of his keys. He managed to stop himself from falling over before Rex managed to stop himself, at any rate. He was moments from wheeling around and giving him a frown and a yell…when a rather loud eruption shot through the air. Moments later, and pebbly indentations sank into the front of the hull where Mack had been standing as double barrels worth of buckshot missed their target. The pilot and Rex both looked up in stunned surprise at this, and realized they had just been supremely lucky. Mack thought he felt his bladder relax a bit, but didn't waste anymore time. He reached over, turned the key the rest of the way, and quickly yanked the hatch door down.

More gunshots began to go off at that time, and both men soon were wincing and ducking to avoid getting hit by the firepower. However, Mack held off long enough to seize Rex's arm and nearly fling him inside himself. Luckily, the student didn't need much coaxing to get within. Once he was, the pilot himself leapt in and pulled the door up as quickly as he could. He felt a bullet whiz by his hair and more thunder around him as the hydraulic pistons only slowly let him pull on them. Yet after what seemed like entirely too long, the man managed to have the hatch up, and slammed it shut against the side of the ship. One last glimpse of the mob, now close enough to reveal that they were nearly foaming at the mouth, was seen before it clicked. He quickly tightened the emergency handle to make sure it wasn't going to get open anytime soon.

After that, he wheeled around to Rex. "Bridge." He stated.

Even so, Mack was the first one up and running to the bridge. Rex was immobilized a bit longer…before what looked like long, sharp objects began to ding against the closed hatch, and impressions of them came through to the other side. After that, he broke and ran for the bridge himself. By then, Mack was already nearly there.

As the pilot opened the hydraulic door and finally managed to emerge inside, he could see through the large front window that the situation was already getting worse. The mob was wasting no time in fanning out all over the airship, and all of them were pounding away at it with everything they had. Most of it was small arms, shotguns, and whatever sort of pointed bludgeoning weapon they could find. Luckily, the inner hull and the plexiglass that made up the exterior of the ship was still calibrated according to Volunteer War standards. The shotgun pellets had only left an effect because of the lighter-material exterior they had slapped on the outside for more cosmetic appearances. Yet Mack wasn't willing to wait around to see if they could find anything that could break it. As soon as he was up to the main console, he began to go through the launch procedure. The engines soon began to rotate and increase speed.

Seconds later, and Rex broke in on the bridge himself. He looked rather spooked at this point, and the situation outside wasn't helping. However, the fact that Mack was hard at work getting them to take off helped calm him somewhat. As a result, he was able to come to a halt not far from the main console. There, he put his hands on his waist and panted as he looked out.

"…This still feels bad that we're abandoning Dr. Rui…even if she left…"

"We're not." Mack flatly answered as his eyes and attention stayed focused on the takeoff cycle.

The student turned to him in confusion. "Huh?"

"Dr. Rui used to be a major in the PPA back in the Volunteer War." Mack answered. "Back then, we had a slight tendancy to lose track of commanding officers… Colonel Nanaki suggested we start bugging major personnel toward the end of the conflict. I'm not sure if General Cloud and General Ragnar ever went for it, but Major Rui had a GPS put in her artificial arm. When she came on board, I went ahead and checked out the register, and found out she still had it. I thought it might be a good idea if something happened to her like it happened to Ragnar."

Rex looked enthused at that. "You mean we can find her?"

"Hopefully." Mack answered as he began to push on the throttle. In response, the ship began to lift off from the ground. The mob was clinging to it by now, but it was no good. Their little weight wouldn't hold it down. And once he was higher in the air, he could do a few maneuvers to shake them off if they refused to let go. "I'm going to get some altitude before I switch on the machine. It's on one of the other consoles. Then we just have to hope that wherever she is, she's clear of this stuff…"

* * *

"…doesn't look good."

"I think she's looked paler since we got her in here."

"She's not bleeding bad…"

"You think she's in a coma?"

"Wait a minute…she's opening her eyes."

These were the opening words that Shelke had with which to gain her surroundings and bearings after the incident in the alley. For the second time in a relatively short period, she once again found herself using her ability to think on her feet after emerging from unconsciousness. Unlike before, however, she was able to quickly repiece her memories about what had happened just a short while ago.

The young woman had noticed something was amiss in the city even with her lack of experience "topside". She seemed to see that roving bands of six people, all moving in a similar fashion, were beginning to go around the streets as she moved. She further noticed that they were starting to take note of her as well. One of them outright stopped and stared at her. Another appeared to start to lift a rifle. So she had taken a bit of a detour in hopes of avoiding them by going down the smaller streets. Hence, it only confirmed her suspicions when she found five blocking her way.

Normally, she might have seen that chain lash out and respond in time. But by now, her energy reserves were starting to hit critical. She wasn't able to react fast enough and got knocked off of her bike. She noticed soon after that her connection with the ground was considerably more painful than she thought it would be, and her muscles were growing more sluggish. Yet even so, she normally would have subdued a gang of six in no time. Instead, she was getting rather tired by the time she had managed to knock out or kill three of them, and she was growing too weak to combat the others further. Even something as light as a blow to the head while being choked, although it was heavier than the average person could do it, had managed to knock her out…

If that was the case, she fully expected to be either dead or in enemy custody. Yet her ears had immediately detected that the voices she heard were not only far too young and soft to be DeepGround or any other military branch, but that the air and surroundings felt different as well. She had a feeling that fate had once again spared her today…although she still felt so tired and drained by now that it probably only bought her another few hours of life.

But for the sake of tradition, Shelke's blue eyes opened, the light in them seeming considerably dimmer now than usual.

Apparently, she hadn't gone far. A single look at the roof overhead soon made it clear from the architecture that she was still in Kalm. Yet that was only a first impression glance. What she truly focused on were the three heads hovering over her at the side. She immediately recognized two of them. The third was just an image from a data file concerning the orphanage she had been monitoring for so long… What most attracted her attention, however, was the silver-haired one that stared over her, and seemed almost the most intense.

Her eyes focused on him with a rather blank look.

"I'm a little surprised to see that you would have had any concern for my well being after our last encounter."

Typically, the other two heads, one belonging to Denzel Strife and the other belonging to an assistant at the orphanage in Edge turned to him in confusion. The one above her, Azure Strife, seemed to blanch a bit at what she said. Shelke could guess the reason fairly easily. She had a feeling the only reason the other two were looking at her with such innocent expressions was because they didn't know who she was. It was likely that Azure had told them that he was ambushed by her, but not given a physical description.

"What's she talking about?" Denzel asked.

"Do you know her?" The aide threw in.

The one, Azure, seemed to be at a loss of what to say. And so, Shelke simply answered for him.

"He should. I stole the samples from him back at the terminal in Edge. I was one of the attackers."

Typically, the silver-haired youth immediately seemed to develop a bead of sweat. His male friend's eyes looked ready to bug out of her skull while the aide's jaw dropped.

_"What?!"_

"Are you crazy, Azure? Isn't she supposed to be one of them?"

Denzel seemed ready to attack, but didn't know whether to take out his anger on Azure or Shelke. Azure used that time to quickly turn and force him backward by moving into him before things could get out of hand. As for the aide, she turned back to gape at Shelke, and soon subconsciously began to shrink back.

"If she was one of them, then why did they attack her?" Azure responded.

"I don't know and I don't care! She and her stupid group started this whole thing! Damnit, Azure! I can't believe you made us carry her in here! We're risking our necks for the enemy!"

"Hey! I did half of the carrying myself! And would you just think for a moment! If she was with them, she would have helped them out to get us!"

Shelke didn't care about this diatribe that much. If they wanted to kill her, they were welcome to try. She wasn't that worried considering last time. As for the fact that she might die in the process, then what? At this rate, she might have just accelerated her own departure by a few hours. She could have only made it to DeepGround if she had gone full speed the whole way there. Now she had no chance of making it to a mako pod in time.

The young woman leaned up in response, and turned to stick her legs out and over the side of what small single bed she had been placed in. The aide had moved back at that, fearing some sort of reprisal. As soon as she was up, she noted that there were others in the room as well. Four other small children were seated around on the floor, yawning, rubbing their eyes, and looking ready to fall asleep at any moment. She recognized three of them, and could guess where the fourth one had come from. It appeared that all of the Strife and Vice children were safe for the time being. Of course, that could simply be because Diablos didn't care to kill them. They had no current powers, after all, that DeepGround had ever considered a threat.

"Well how do we know those guys outside were even with them?" Denzel shot back. He began to reach for his back. Shelke turned his head when he did, and noticed that he was going for a sword. The handle was of one of the better models. She was a bit surprised that he had gotten one, but she didn't voice her confusion at the time.

Azure answered by reaching up and planting a hand on his wrist, keeping him from going any farther. Denzel looked rather angry at that. "Come on! We both saw their eyes! They were red!"

"That still doesn't mean she didn't cause this!"

"There was more than one of them at the airfield! Maybe they made her do it!"

"What? Are you sticking up for her?"

"I'm just trying to keep you from attacking like crazy!"

"…Please stop that."

In response to hearing this, both boys stopped and turned around to Shelke. The woman had spoke out calmly, and was still rather collected and controlled as she sat on the bed. She stared at them simply. The aide, on her part, looked from the boys to her and then back again, but gradually continued to back up toward the single window in the room to give them more space.

Denzel frowned at her. "Don't tell me what to do."

"I wasn't talking to you." She simply answered, before turning to focus solely, to his surprise, on Azure. "I was talking to you. I don't need you to try and defend me or justify my actions. Your friend is right. I did work with DeepGround to release the force known as Diablos, and I was involved in key parts of its release as well as the obtaining of the essences. I do not know what has gone on in this region today, but I am assuming that he is the reason you are currently distressed. If you are, then I am to blame for your misfortune. As much as anyone else in DeepGround."

The three were actually stunned into silence at what amounted to an acceptance of blame from Shelke. Azure himself was a bit surprised…perhaps even a bit dismayed…at the outright flat rejection by Shelke. Denzel himself held back a bit, but soon he began to feel more justified himself, and so he started to reach for his sword again. The aide herself hung out by the window, a bit puzzled.

"Diablos? Do you think that's what Vincent was talking about?"

"Who cares?" Denzel answered. "She just said she's to blame, so she's history."

"You're welcome to kill me, if you wish." Shelke calmly answered to Denzel's growing enthusiasm. "It really makes no difference at this point. I'm going to die in less than six hours anyway. Depending on how long I was out, probably much less time than that. You'll only speed up my death by a short period of time. And I can't hope to fight you off at this point. Even sitting up on this bed is beginning to make me light-headed, so I assume I can't have more than three hours remaining. On that low amount of energy, I can barely punch any more strongly than someone of my physical age. My only provision is that killing me will not help your present situation or undo what I have already done. The most value I may have to you is telling you what I know in the short amount of time I have left."

"Screw what you know." Denzel answered, beginning to make the blade naked.

Azure immediately put out a hand against his chest again, trying to stop him. He turned his head to him. "Denzel, she's right. We still don't know a lot of what's going on. If she can tell us, that would really help."

The boy turned to him with an angry look. "How do we know she's not just playing for time? Trying to keep us from killing her?"

Azure stared back at Denzel flatly for a moment. In the end, however, he simply removed his hand, stood back, and crossed his arms. "Alright then, Denzel…kill her."

Shelke showed no reaction to that. It was their own funeral, after all. It meant little to her at this point. Denzel, however, seemed a bit surprised when he saw himself suddenly released. However, he soon swallowed it down and looked bold again. With a "shik" of metal, the sword was drawn fully. He turned to Shelke and aimed it down at her, pointing the blade at her chest. He stopped just short of letting the tip rest on it. Shelke, on her part, simply looked back into his eyes and waited. She didn't attempt a blade catch or disarming move or anything. She just waited.

"Denzel…" The aide suddenly choked out. "No…"

But Shelke wasn't worried about her pleading. She already knew she was safe. She was looking into the youth's eyes, and saw that he still had quite a bit of innocence for all of his readiness and earnest. Almost immediately it began to erode away at his resolve. This boy might have killed a few in his lifetime, but he was far from a soldier, much less a murderer. If she had been fighting back, that might have been one thing. But just sitting here and offering no resistance was something else entirely. His throat tightened and relaxed a few times, but in the end…he let out an angry hiss as he backed up and began to replace the sword.

"…Just hurry up before I change my mind." He flatly stated.

A sigh of relief came from the aide, who turned her head to the side and gazed through the blinds out the window as she relaxed against the wall. Azure seemed rather relieved as well, and let out an exhale as he leaned back. With this, the attention was once again back on Shelke. In response, she turned out to them all.

"I do not know what has transpired since I left the Eastern Continent, but my guess is that whatever had befallen you and those you know and love is the work of Diablos. He's an esper that we accidentally evoked when we were attempting to revive our commander, Weiss. Since then, he has acquired several espers to his cause. He might have gained even more since I left. That is no doubt his goal at this point, or at least one of his goals.

"I refused to submit to him when I suspected his true nature while impersonating Weiss. For that, I was made his slave through some sort of magical construct he placed on me. He sent me up to the Northern Continent to collect the samples and kill anyone in my path save for Ragnar Vice. However, both he and another esper subdued me and removed the construct."

Denzel snorted. "Serves you right. You could never beat Ragnar or Cloud in a fight."

"I had little choice in whether or not I chose to engage them, but that point is irrelevant. The point is that somehow Diablos must have detected the 'death' of his construct. As a result, he sent two new espers to succeed where I had failed, or at least I can assume such. This time, it seems as if Ragnar Vice himself was a goal. Although they failed again to obtain the samples, they did manage to capture the other target."

"Huh?" A voice began to come up from the children. Shelke didn't bother looking to them. She realized that it had to be one of the children who was related to Ragnar Vice.

"And why did you guys want him?" Denzel challenged back, not saying the name again for the fear of setting off the children once again, Shelke assumed.

"I do not know." The young woman answered. "My only other word of advice is that since these attacks originated from underneath Midgar, that Edge will most likely be the first city to be attacked. Yet since you're all residents of Edge from our records, it seems likely that the city was already struck."

Denzel turned away and muttered something that sounded along the lines of "no obscenity".

"It was." Azure answered with a sigh. "One of those esper things can hypnotize people with its voice. It did it to the city. We only got out of there because of a friend."

Shelke looked down a bit herself. "Then it seems as if my hypothesis was correct…"

"Um…guys?"

Everyone in the chamber, Shelke included, turned and looked up to where the aide was standing. She had leaned a bit more off of the window, and was now looking outside of it toward the ground of the street below. As if on cue, the sudden silence enabled Shelke to hear some rough breaking sound happening outside. She might have rose to check, but right now she still felt too unsteady to get up.

"We're in trouble." The aide finished.

The two boys immediately forgot about Shelke and ran over to the window themselves. The younger children, now realizing that something was going on, began to rise as well and shake off their tiredness. They moved the blinds slightly and looked out below at what the aide was seeing. They only did so a moment before another breaking sound was heard, this one a bit closer.

Denzel turned a shade white and backed off. "Oh sh't…" He stated, unable to keep himself from swearing.

"I'd tell you not to swear…but I'm kind of thinking the same thing right now, Denzel." Azure answered as he backed up.

"What's wrong?" Shelke asked.

"Looks like the dead bodies outside gave us away…" Denzel remarked. "Those six guys we beat up before had friends. _Lots_ of friends. And I think they want a bit of revenge. They're going door to door and knocking down every one to check inside."

"There's hundreds of them…" The girl answered in fearful response. "They're filling the street…"

"We can't get out…" Azure slowly remarked, seeming to realize this himself.

The aide paused a bit longer, but finally turned and began to go over to the table in the room. There was a phone there. She was soon on it and picked up the receiver. Placing it to her head, she began to dial. "Bodies or no, I think we need the police here right now."

Now, Shelke rose. It took quite a bit of effort to force herself onto her feet, but once she had managed to do so with a reasonable amount of speed, as well as considerable dizziness, she forced her body to move over to the phone, snatch the receiver out of the girl's hands, and slam it back down. The aide looked to her in confusion.

"What are you…"

"Assuming that Diablos is acting in a way that mirrors DeepGround's techniques, it no longer matters." Shelke explained. "Even if the police could get here in time and fight through all of the opposition, we wouldn't be able to reach them. All communication lines have already been cut by now to sources of civil defense. That was likely the first place they hit."

Another crunch, loud enough for everyone to hear clearly this time.

"Marlene…"

"…What's going on?" The twins said from where they were.

The girl turned to them in response. Immediately, she motioned for them to come back. "All four of you, get back from the door and behind us."

The children hesitated, but then complied. Even the silent one rose and followed as commanded. As for the aide, who Shelke now understood to be named Marlene (probably Marlene Wallace), she went over to the table's opposite side and picked up what looked to be a rather advanced rifle. Shelke recognized it as a custom model of the most high powered version on the market, a "Hydra". Again, she wondered where she would have gotten such a thing.

Denzel himself stepped toward the door and drew his sword again. Azure began to advance to the table, although he hadn't summoned his weapon yet. Another crunch came from outside.

"Now what?" Marlene asked even as she nervously aimed her weapon forward. Her flimsy grip indicated she had no experience with it, and that she seemed uncomfortable just holding it. "Is there any other way out?"

"There aren't any other fire escapes in this part of town." Azure answered as he began to drag the item they could use as a barricade over to the front of the door. "The only other place is the window. There are other windows not looking at the street in this building, but we might have to break some doors down ourselves to get to them." The table was set and put at an angle to press up against the doorknob. Azure quickly stepped back to Denzel's side. After that, Shelke noticed him conduct a similar effect as before. A wave of his hand later…and his long katana materialized in his hand. He too aimed it at the door. Yet another break went out. This one sounded very close.

"You can't win by standing your ground." Shelke simply stated in response. "There are too many of them, and you are all far too inexperienced."

"We'll see about that…" Denzel nearly snapped back as he kept his eyes on the door.

"Do you any alternative ideas?" Azure asked.

"Get out through the window while you still can." Shelke answered. "The homes are close enough in town that you might be able to jump the roofs."

This idea actually made the three older people pause. They looked to one another, even Denzel, and seemed to think over it for a moment. Shelke realized it wasn't without risk. The tiled roof would easily come apart under their feet. The little children would likely not be able to make any jump. And if they started firing at the roof, they were dead anyway. Yet it seemed the only viable option at the time. They probably would have given it a bit more thought…if they suddenly hadn't felt a ripple through the building as something loud impacted the door to the house. On hearing that, the three immediately paled, and the younger kids leapt a bit. That was it. They had broken the door down. Soon the sounds of thundering footsteps began to follow.

Denzel was the one who took charge. "Fine… Marlene, start getting the kids out. Me and Azure will hold the door if they try and break it in. In response, he twisted his own sword around and replaced it against his back. He then motioned to the bed. "Let's get it over in front of the door too."

Azure seemed to agree with this. He quickly shoved the tip of his sword into the ground to hold it up, and rushed over to assist the boy. As for Marlene, she moved back to the kids, and began to talk with them to try and coax them to move. Shelke assumed they would be rather hesitant, and they were. However, she seemed to have enough power over them to get them to move. She led them over to the window, and once there quickly opened it up. She stepped out first to watch things on the outside, and then she turned back and began to pull the first one through. The footsteps were growing louder. Now they sounded as if they were coming up the stairs.

A moment later, and the bed was shoved against the door as well. It was just in time too. Marlene had only gotten the second child out, and the door to the chamber was suddenly smashed against. Obviously, whoever was on the other side was trying to kick it in as they had the front door. However, this time, the locks were braced by the power of the table and the bed, and the door managed to hold. Denzel and Azure, who had just finished setting up the last of the barricade, both backed up and aimed their swords out once again at the door. They kept their fronts to it as they fell back next to Shelke. Once there, Azure looked to her.

He motioned behind. "You should grab Marlene's rifle. You probably know how to use it better than she does."

Shelke kept her eyes on the door. "I'm staying here."

Azure looked at her incredulously at that as the door to the room bulged from a stronger blow. Some of the wood cracked as a result. Denzel glanced at her, but then looked back ahead.

"I knew she was one of them. Just leave her, Azure."

The other boy didn't believe that, obviously. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't come with you." Shelke flatly stated. "I told you that my reserves were nearly dry. I can't do more than walk at this point, and even then not that well. I'll never be able to navigate the roof or stay clear. But perhaps my presence here will delay them enough for you to escape." She actually froze a bit in response to her own words. She couldn't believe what she had said. Was she actually…staying behind…to help them? It really didn't matter at this point. She was dead any way you looked at it. And yet…was there something within her that made her say that? Say that she was going to stand her ground to allow them to escape? She thought there wasn't anything left in her that truly cared for anyone other than DeepGround…

"We can't leave you." Azure finally managed to say after a pause of silence. A third blow struck the door, this one the hardest yet. Part of the panels actually broke, and hands and movements came out from behind to try and push the bed down. And this wasn't a weak door either. That likely explained the amount of blood on the hands that came through.

"You can leave me and increase your chances of escape, or attempt to carry me and decrease them. In the latter case, it's hopeless. I will die soon anyway."

Another child was helped out. Denzel was backing as well, and was nearly to the window himself. Shelke hadn't moved, and Azure was still next to her. "Come on!" The other boy called to him.

"You're not dead now!" Azure retorted, actually raising his voice in volume. The tone actually made the young woman turn her head to him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to answer like that. What more, when she looked at him, she saw that his face was insistent and fierce. "Why are you giving up already? How do you know you can't get to another mako recharger or whatever? How do you know we won't somehow get out of this? You said you had three hours! Then don't stand around waiting for them to expire! Make something out of them!"

The young woman was rendered silent. She hadn't expected that from anyone short of her older sister. She especially didn't expect it from this boy, especially considering the beating that she had given him. And yet now, it looked as if he was crying out for her to live. That was illogical. In DeepGround, at this point, a "suicide mission" was all she was good for, given the situation. She could count on being given explosives and ammunition, but not even an additional salute from her fellow teammates after that. The weak were to die to allow the strong to survive. But now one of the last people she expected was actually urging her to not give up in spite of the futility of it all. He was practically screaming at her to continue. And this was such a foreign idea that she was rendered mute and immobile…

As a result, and also due to her weakness, she couldn't resist when Azure shot his hand out, seized her by the wrist, and began to drag her backward toward the window. From the look on his face, she was coming whether she wanted to or not.

Just as the two of them reached the window, however…a growing mass of people on the other side of the door smashed into it one more time. This time, they possessed enough mad, cumulative strength to knock the bed aside and smash the table away along with the door. A jagged opening was made through the debris and broken plank of wood, but within it was a mixture of enraged, red-eyed, foaming madmen, all bearing cruel, crude weapons and gazing at their foes with murderous intent. Those gathered stared up at them and paled as they saw that they had made it, and that most of them were still trapped in the room with them. Shelke was still somewhat calm, but even she felt her heart begin to rush a bit faster on seeing this. Yet the people didn't pause. Nearly snapping at them, they began to cram together to try and go through the door the rest of the way…

That was when they abruptly stopped.

To Shelke's surprise…something had materialized in front of them. A single blue flame had suddenly erupted right in front of the lead one. In response, brainwashed as the man was, he froze and stared at it. His animal features grit teeth and snorted for a moment…before they turned into a look of confusion. Somehow, despite being brainwashed, the person was still fascinated by the small blue fire.

A moment later, and as the others tried to cram by him and keep attacking, blue flames erupted in front of the faces of everyone leading the charge. They all hovered in the exact same position. As before, each savage came to a halt, and stared blankly at the flames. Each one was soon captivated by the strange, ethereal fire that had come before them.

Abruptly, there was a change. The flames suddenly began to move. Like little fireflies or other winged insects, they suddenly began to flutter around the ground. They moved in and out and around them, slipping under arms and coming over shoulders and encircling legs. In response, like dense creatures fascinated by a shiny object or fire, the brainwashed men began to watch them move. They tried their hardest to follow them as the blue lights swam around them, flickering and lighting and putting on their little show. Behind them, there were more roars for bloodlust and madness, but it was no use. They couldn't get past those blocking their way, and were forced to helplessly wait and ineffectively push.

Shelke was actually amazed. She had never seen a move like that before, nor was aware that any of them possessed the power from her research. She turned her gaze to Azure, but he looked as blank as her. For that matter, as she kept looking, she saw that all of the others were surprised as well. It wasn't until Marlene herself turned her head down and looked around below her that she noticed who was responsible.

Quite calm, the fourth boy, one that was not a relative that Shelke had studied, was swishing his finger around in strange circular patterns while staring emotionlessly at the people in the door. The result seemed to be the generation of the wisps of flame. Slowly, Azure and Denzel turned and looked as well, and they too were amazed, it appeared. Shelke couldn't explain it herself. There was no materia power that allowed that. On looking a bit longer, she realized that it had to be a Geomancer ability. Their powers were random, but from what she managed to learn through observation of the magic school was that, within cities, Geomancers were able to draw on the power of the deceased, who tended to leave heavy presences behind in constructed buildings. This must have been using that power.

"Wow…" Denzel remarked. "Kid…I'm going to get you…the biggest…um…lollipop…or toy…or something…" He fumbled with his words.

The boy didn't answer. He simply lowered his finger a moment later. For an instant, the others stiffened, thinking that meant that the spell was over. However, they looked back to the front, and saw that the wisps were hanging on at least a bit longer. They were still dancing around. However, Shelke herself noticed that they began to lose their intensity almost immediately. The power was dying back.

She looked back to the others, and watched as Marlene quickly reached down and hoisted the Geomancer through the window. Denzel quickly followed suit, able to move much faster than the girl had with each of the children. As he went through, Azure backed up toward the window further and shoving Shelke along with it. Soon they were in front of it as Denzel vanished outside. By now, the wisps were only half as strong as they had been while the Geomancer had been turning his finger over and around.

"Go on." Shelke stated as they arrived.

However, Azure answered by shoving his sword into the ground once again, and seizing Shelke around the waist. He had enough strength to easily lift her up and begin to shove her out the window. "I'm not going to let you stay behind."

The young woman nearly frowned as he practically tossed her out the opening. The breeze of the night air immediately greeted her as she was thrown into a seated position onto the sloping, shingled roof. The sounds of hundreds of people below, smashing and moving about in huge numbers, ran into her ears as she was ejected. However, as her seated position soon lost the ability to hold itself and she fell back, with her head going first on the downward slope, she felt only irritation. Why was he doing this for her? Why was he so intent on keeping her alive?

She managed to hear him a moment later as he himself came out through the window. She closed her own eyes in response and thought, lying there limply as she did so. This had been pointless for her anyway. She couldn't even pull herself up now without tremendous strain. With the downhill working against her, she might not even be able to sit up at all… He had only gotten her about ten feet farther…

About that time, when Shelke was dwelling on these thoughts…she felt it.

It was strange. It was a bit cold…but not too much so. It was a prickly sensation…or perhaps just that of feeling some sort of small particles fall over you. It came as a wave, moving from her head down the rest of her body. As it seemed to light on her…she felt strange. Something inside her felt excited…and yet relaxed at the same time. For a moment, she thought she imagined this. That it was some sort of strange tricks her nerves were playing on her due to energy loss. And yet, it continued to leave an impact over her…continued to seem to seep into her body…

Feeling all this, eventually the young woman began to realize she was wrong. It was something external, and it was happening to her right now. In response, she opened her eyes to look at it…

And was quite surprised when, purely by instinct, she sat up completely and fairly easily to look over her body.

The young woman froze a moment later. Her eyes (which, unknown to her, had just regained much of their former light) held open as her mouth loosened. She did see something. As the last of the prickling sensation left her feet, she thought she saw the faint traces of some sort of blue-green aura fade over her. Yet what she truly noticed was that her muscles were no longer tired. She didn't feel shaky or weak any longer. She had stabilized, and much of her old power had come back. She felt almost as able as she did back in Shalua's lab. It wasn't as good as a full recharge in a mako pod, but she definitely was back to being a match for Azure.

Of course…all of these facets immediately stunned her. How was that possible? Part of the reason she had ceased to age was because she ran almost entirely off of mako, removing the need to metabolize and cause the associated cellular complications. And helpful as that Geomancer had been, she seriously doubted that he had the ability to heal her up or give her power to live a bit longer. It seemed almost impossible. It was like Azure's words had caused some sort of phenomenon to actually take place.

While she was still trying to wonder what had happened…Azure was on her. He immediately reached out and seized her by the hand, meaning to bring her up to her feet himself with the power he exerted. Yet that wasn't necessary. A bit to his surprise, Shelke was no longer dead weight but quickly rose up herself. Her face was calmer and more focused now, and definitely more vibrant and colored. This made the youth pause in a bit of confusion after pulling her up. As for Shelke, she turned her head away from him, meaning to look back to the edge of the roof and down, trying to get a look at what their odds were. After all, with her power somewhat restored, she realized she could now fight. She didn't know how it had happened, but now she might have a chance of making it to…

_…There._

Shelke's head snapped upward as she saw it. It was only for the briefest moment…but it was across the street, and had been looking out of a window at her. It vanished almost as soon as she looked up, but she managed to catch a glimpse of something humanoid moving out from the pane as she focused on it. It was something that was glowing with a pale blue light…shimmering almost…and she realized that although it wasn't the same color as the aura had been on her, it had to be the source. It was gone now, but she no longer doubted it.

However, it raised an interesting question in her mind. She had seen only one other glowing being thus far…

_Was that an esper?_

"Come on!"

Before Shelke could look any more, Azure gave her a tug on her arm, urging her back away from the edge and up the roof. The young woman answered by turning to him for a moment, but then quickly looked back. The figure had already been gone before, but she saw no trace now either. However, turning back did allow her to look back to the street. She soon found out that they hadn't been exaggerating. And she was rather stunned to see how many that Diablos had gathered, even with his ability to control others. There had be nearly a thousand crowding around the building, each one armed with as many crude weapons as they could carry, and more running back out of other buildings that had been invaded and moving for theirs. By now, whatever trick the Geomancer had managed had to be fading too. With that in mind, she turned back to the direction Azure was going and moved herself. Now rejuvenated, she quickly twisted her arm once to wrench it out of Azure's grip, and went along of her own accord.

If Azure had looked confused at the sudden return of her strength, Shelke didn't notice. She was already focusing on the two other older children, who were leading the other kids around as quickly as they could. It wasn't easy. From where the window was on the house, the roof slanted upward sharply. It formed an edge above them that they couldn't walk on. As a result, the only way to move was to run along the somewhat flatter edge to try and get around to an adjacent rooftop. Luckily, there wasn't far to go to accomplish that. And once on the edge of the adjacent building, it was close enough that the kids could move over on their own with a good jump…only about three feet. The oldest one, who Shelke believed was the son of Strife, was brave enough to leap over. Marlene and Denzel had to pause and hand the others over afterward, however. And apparently, the older boy didn't like the fact that the younger had jumped. He didn't push it now, which was wise to Shelke. There was little room to be complaining about that now. They were going too slow as it was. By the time Shelke had reached the edge and immediately leapt over, she was able to turn back and see that people were coming out from the window they had abandoned. The hold had apparently broken. Luckily, the last child was passed and the others jumped over a moment later, and once again they were off as best as they could.

The roof wasn't much better than the last one. Although Shelke was now keeping her balance easily, the others had to help the children a bit more. The truth of the matter was that she could probably run faster than all of them and escape. It would have been the wiser thing to do, after all. The entire crowd below was following after them, watching them from below as they ran down the street, or now pouring out of the window and chasing after them. As the group ran by a window on this latest house, Shelke heard the glass shatter. She chanced a look behind, and saw that yet another mob was now cramming through the window to join up the chase. With the children slowing them down, they'd never make it. She was better off just leaving them.

She wasn't sure why she didn't.

At any rate, once they reached the edge of this roof, they seemed to get what was going on regarding their delays. Denzel paused at the edge before he quickly put his sword away. He turned back to the approaching children and quickly scooped up one of them. Without bothering to explain, he showed off his rather impressive strength and literally tossed him across the latest divide. He quickly grabbed another and threw that one as well. The children were a bit shaken up and landed hard once they hit the other side, but they seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and got up as well. Azure himself seemed to swing out his arm and make his sword disappear, and then simply reached down and scooped up the twins. Giving a bit of a grunt as he did so, he leapt over the chasm between buildings carrying the both of them. On the other side, he quickly released and moved to get the others up. Soon the rest of the older people followed, Shelke included, and they were off again.

Somehow, despite the ferocity of their antagonists, they were able to keep ahead of them by doing this. As they continued to run and leapt a few more roofs, Shelke looked below and behind them. They were being pursued by an ever growing number of savages, but none of them were shooting any of their ranged weapons, although they seemed to have them. This puzzled Shelke slightly. Running and shooting may not have been a viable option, but they were close enough that they could hit them from their current distance. The others stayed below, continuing to hound them. Shelke was surprised. It looked as if they were the only focus of attention. Did Diablos want her that badly? Or was he after these people as well?

At any rate, it didn't take long for Shelke to realize that there had to be more of them. Eruptions of fire and smoke were soon going off in the skyline, and she could see from her position that various streets and districts in town were lighting up all over the place. With them was coming the sound of explosions and sirens. No…whatever was going on wasn't just focused on them. It was happening all over the city. She seemed to have been right about this being a coordinated strike. However…there hadn't been many members of DeepGround to utilize. That meant that Diablos would have had to go elsewhere for more recruits, perhaps using the same control as before. If so, then Shelke was actually shocked. She didn't think it would have been possible to gather so many so quickly… It only made the situation harder to evade, although they were succeeding for now.

That was until the inevitable happened. As the group ran on to the edge of the latest roof they had lit on, they slowed down abruptly and ground to a halt. Shelke could see why even before she reached them. Until now, they had managed to utilize adjacent buildings. But now they were at the edge of a building overlooking a street. The gap here was two lanes worth of traffic. This was something they couldn't jump. Shelke herself would be hard pressed to try even at full power. She continued running until she met up with them, before she ground to a halt. Once there, she and the others tried to look for an alternate route.

The most obvious course of action was to turn to the side and run to the next adjacent roof. Unfortunately, due to the "alpine" like construction of the roofs in this part of the town, it rose sharply into an apex just to the side of them, forming a very steep wall with no awnings with which to run around on. They'd have to cross it to get to the other side and jump over, and the nature of the homes on the rest of the block would force them to do the same for each adjacent roof in that direction. In reality, it was probably a waste of time anyway. It would just confine them to running around the block, which was hardly a strategy. Shelke looked down afterward. She could probably make the jump down two stories alright, but it was unlikely that the others could. And once down there, then what? They'd still be chased even if they could rise and get up to run. There was a small chance that they could run for cover, but that was all. And it assumed that they could get down safely, which she wasn't too sure about beyond herself, Denzel, and Azure.

The young woman turned back behind her. It didn't take long for the other older children to do the same, their own faces growing tight and nervous. The enemy was taking the chance to gain on them quickly. They were already on the last roof before theirs. And those below were gathering again as well. They began to realize that their entrapment had only been postponed by a small amount. Now the enemy was tightening the noose on them again. In the end, they all looked behind them to the most immediate danger, and found themselves focusing on rather bloodthirsty faces drawing nearer.

The kids were beginning to fret. The older ones were growing nervous. Out of futility and nothing else to do, Denzel drew his sword and aimed it in front of him. Seeing this, Azure seemed to realize that they had little other choice, and quickly summoned his weapon back. Keeping the younger children behind her, Marlene began to ball her hands into fists, although, to Shelke, it seriously looked as if she lacked the resolve and power to be effective. The point was they were standing their ground now. Making their final stand, it seemed. And against the people who were coming, that seemed fairly useless. Again, her biggest question was why they weren't shooting right now…

The young woman was unarmed. She looked behind her. The people were starting to gather below, seeming to think they were going to risk jumping. Soon they wouldn't be able to break through if they did. Shelke thought for a moment. Well…she had stuck with these people for a short distance, but if she stayed with them any longer she'd be dead. Breaking off was the only way of saving herself. If she remained they'd all die. For a moment, she hesitated…thinking of which was the better option. In another instant, she might have jumped and ran.

That was when she saw a streak of light shoot down into the heart of the attackers in the street nearby and ignite, immediately blowing up a good portion of it and sending dozens of people flying in the ensuing fireball.

The force of the explosion was so strong that those on the roof felt the wave ripple off of it and over them. It was so close that the noise thundered in their ears and made them all wince before snapping around to the source. They were just in time to squint and shield themselves again as another streak of fire shot down and erupted in another crowd of people, sending more of them flying. Marlene grabbed the kids, as if to shield them. Denzel held his sword in front of him, while Azure merely lifted a hand to his gaze and bore with it. Shelke herself was forced to squint, but kept staring on through the fire and smoke as it rose into the sky, beginning to fill the air overhead with a curtain of black cloud…

A second later, and it was broken as the form of the airship Shelke had left only scant hours ago swept through.

The roar of the rapidly incoming engines, as well as the blast of the air from the afterburners, slammed into the group with such ferocity that it commanded their full attention. Their heads turned up to the sky as their hair and clothes were flung back violently, just in time to see the massive hunk of metal come over them and slow to a hover. Shelke noted the savages as well to see how they had reacted. Those on the ground were merely getting clear of the flames. On turning back to the roof, she saw that they were ignoring it all together and continuing to run for them. It was still debatable who would reach who first. Yet after noting this, the young woman turned her head back up to the sky. The airship was already lowering on them. As it did, the lower bay door cracked, letting light flow out, before opening wider to allow a quick run. She couldn't help but stare and wonder.

_How did they know?_

There was no time to worry about it. Shelke began to make out the roars of the madmen rushing at them. If anything, they were picking up speed. A second later, and the airship touched down, letting its ramp and bottom smash part of the house it landed over, and left the ramp open at something of an angle hovering just two feet from where they were standing. Marlene immediately went to work. In went the twins. Then the Geomancer. The older of the younger children was next as Azure made his blade disappear again to help with this…

That was when it happened. One of the band of attacking people broke the ranks and charged forward ahead of the others. He was extremely fast, quickly shooting across the rest of the roof in no time. Shelke realized he had to have some sort of special training or physical ability. His mouth was foaming and he looked especially psychotic. His hands were the most shocking things. He had somehow taken two sets of kitchen knives and had wired them together to make glaives of a sort. Rather cruel and twisted looking ones at that. With these metal talons outstretched, he was headed straight for Marlene. His eyes seemed to have focused on her more than anyone else, possibly because, given her current position, she was the one between him and the kids on the ramp.

He gave out an especially animal hiss, causing the girl to snap around. Her face froze in panic. She had dropped her guard already to lift up the kids. And although Shelke didn't know this, any combat training she had sustained momentarily was forgotten. Shelke herself was on the other side of Azure. The older boy himself looked as if he too had been surprised at the madness and speed of which this one came out. Besides, he had just made his sword vanish again…

About two feet before connection…a blur shot in front of Marlene, and a flash of steel went out.

The madman's eyes bulged from beneath his low sunglasses as blood erupted from his chest. In a millisecond, a large, gaping cut appeared across his body, stretching from the side of his neck all the way through his chest and out the side of his abdomen. It was rough and had cut several blood vessels, and the force of it was strong enough to force the man to the side. The sudden loss of blood pressure as well as the power that had knocked him off balance seemed sufficient to make him tip off the rest of the building, and so over he went. His body, still spraying out a fountain of blood, fell to the ground painting a trail of red through the sky.

Azure stared for a moment…before breaking out of it. His own face stiffening, he turned to Marlene. The girl was still staring, seemingly shocked at what had just happened. The older boy seemed to know they had to move, and quickly he leapt onto the ramp, reached over, practically seized Marlene, and drew him inside. Shelke was left behind to stare a bit longer at Denzel.

His face and shirt were covered in blood as his blade hovered against the ground, still doused with crimson and a bit of flesh. His blue eyes were blazing, showing a mixture of determination and personal fear. Yet his face was hard save for his heavy breathing and sweat. He had been the one who stepped in to kill the man to save Marlene.

He was still immobilized as the others rushed up, not caring about their dead brethren. Shelke snapped out of her own daze and quickly leapt in as well as Azure dragged Marlene back. After that, however, the young woman turned back and reached out to plant her hand on Denzel's shoulder. He snapped it to her in response, but his face bore the same look.

"Get in now." Was all she said. She removed her hand and quickly began to go in herself.

She did look back, however. Denzel paused only a moment longer before he swallowed and snapped out of it. Quickly, he turned to the ramp, seized one of the hydraulics with his free hand, and yanked himself inside. The savages were right on his heels. Although the airship began to pull up as soon as Denzel had one foot inside, two more grabbed on right as he pulled his other in, hanging on and trying to bring themselves in as the airship closed. However, the incident seemed to have sped the boy's reaction time. He turned back, and quickly brought the heel of his boot down hard on their knuckles. Not fingers, mind you. Knuckles. He seemed to have realized by now that these unstoppable people would be immune to simply smashing their hands. But with his power he soon was breaking their knuckles instead, thereby ruining the grip and making it impossible for them to hang on if they wanted to. The two pursuers only managed to hang on for about ten feet before they were forced to let go.

Shelke soon made it all the way inside, and Denzel followed behind. As soon as she was in, she recognized the form of Rex. Looking twice as sweaty and nervous as Denzel, he quickly reached over and pulled the hatch closed as fast as he could. It wasn't easy, and soon Azure reappeared to come over and help him, because they were picking up height and speed now and the wind wasn't helping. Yet with both of them together, they managed to get it shut and locked. By that time, Shelke finally heard the guns begin to fire, but it was too little too late. They were ascending quickly now, and soon were out of range of the guns themselves. They continued to soar higher, moving into the stratosphere, before preparing to shoot off into the sky and leave Kalm far behind them.

The young woman herself let out an exhale and sat down on the floor. She needed to take a moment to process all that had happened, and try to make some sense out of the phenomenon that had impacted her.

Neither she, nor any of the others at that moment, had fully realized yet that by this meeting two pieces of the puzzle that both groups were trying to decipher had just come together.

* * *

Much of Kalm was soon under assault as the airship sped away into the heavens. Unknown to any of the people on board, this move had been in the making almost as soon as Diablos had been able to gain troops capable of carrying it out. Pirating the airwaves would have been a simpler way to go, but for now, he believed he had enough troops. The purpose of this move was to simply remove a place where people could rally against him. One less obstacle in the way.

And he had done well. No armies necessary. No special spells or techniques. Just groups of his new minions, each one armed with crude weapons, scattered throughout the city. Each one a chaotic element, and each one united in a single goal. Gangs like these could do plenty of damage on their own. Two could create an evening news disaster. Yet a few scores of them were enough to bring a city to its knees if they moved in just the right way. Cut off the communication lines. Eliminate the authorities and emergency responses. Recruit anyone else who manages to hear a radio transmission from Edge or a well-placed phone call. Now the city was in chaos. And the troops that he had sent there would remain an effective garrison to dissuade any intruders. With any luck, they'd divert any opponents against his true plans…

However, not all of Kalm was screams or burning. Some parts of it were relatively still quiet. These parts were mostly abandoned by people at this point. The looters who were seizing the opportunity were elsewhere, still raiding certain key parts of the city. Yet one particular place that might have held their interest was tucked so far out of the way that it didn't merit attention yet.

There was a small family-owned jeweler in this part of town. Most of its clientele were more friends of the family than rich people looking for baubles. Most of the quality in there was low quality gold and silver. However, they did still have a fine collection of gems. Rubies, opals, diamonds, emeralds, topaz… None of them in any real appreciable amount on their own, but all together quite the collection. And what they did have was perfect. They maintained as many imperfect and flawless gems as they could. It was a way to guarantee their few customers stayed there. Quality was a way of life for that place, after all. Something they could ensure compared to all the other big stores.

At any rate, it was back in more residential areas, and so wasn't thought of for the most part by any potential thief. Even the sounds of explosions or screaming were so far that they were almost mistakable as just the wind. For that matter, any smaller residents remained unaware of the danger that was going on in the rest of the city as well. For them, it was just another night.

Such was the case for two small creatures within the alley of the jeweler.

Both were considered vermin by humans, although one had come from a creature that was desired by man. At this point, both were so dirty and hosts to so many parasites that all they would get would be a swat of a broom if they came near anyone. Yet that was alright to the larger of the two. After all, a cat was nothing if not self sufficient. It was content to allow itself to be pampered by man, but above all other things it desired its independence. It was quite capable of making its own way in the world. And that's what it was up to at the moment.

Which brings into the central focus the second creature: the mouse.

Soon to be an ex-mouse, however. The cat had already pounced on it. With one swipe, the creature had been cut deep into its stomach with one claw, while another had severed the muscles in its leg, leaving only a small flap of skin holding it together. Now it lay wide-eyed and gaping forward, realizing that death was inevitable at this point, but the instinct to live not letting it pass just yet, but cling on.

By now, the cat had pinned it down with the paw it had slashed it with, dabbed with just a bit of blood. Now that it had it, its pupils narrowed on its prey. It began to lean over, and as it did its mouth opened to take the first bite out of it…

That was when a flash of electric light filled its vision. It was so bright and intense, and so sudden, that the cat let out an angry hiss as it was blinded. Forgetting about its prey, it released it, turned, and fled as fast as it could back into the alley. The mouse was left limp and dying in the corner between the wall of the jewelry store and the stone ground. There it lay, its chest rapidly rising and falling, breathing out its last as it waited to die simply a bit more slowly and perhaps less painfully. Even if it shared the same fear for the golden glow, it couldn't respond to it any longer. All of its remaining faculties were on life.

The glow came closer, until the creature was overshadowed by it. It continued to breathe and lie there, not able to look up into the face of who had come to it. It suspected yet another predator, but it did nothing in response. It couldn't. It had resigned itself to death.

A question passed between the two.

The mouse understood very little, but it had already accepted death. Its body was no use to it.

Because of that, the mouse suddenly found itself scooped up by the golden aura. It hurt, and hastened its departure a bit…but before it could think of anything else, it was dropped completely into an amount of water.

There was one thing clearly said that the mouse would never understand. Yet if it could have, this was what it would have heard.

"Thank goodness this was the one he dropped…"

The mouse cared little for what that meant a moment later. Unable to move as it was, it still spasmed with what breath was still in it. It gasped as it found itself unable to breathe. Panicking, it began to suck in to try and strain some air out of the water. But it failed. It only sucked it into its lungs, making it hack it back out and drink it in to try and get a clear enough space to breathe.

It was when it sucked it in that it felt it begin.

The golden aura faded, flying away back into the night. But the cylinder was left behind, sitting on the ground with the mouse within it. It floated there a moment, seeming to be dead. Yet then…the cylinder abruptly shattered, spraying glass everywhere, and blowing the water all over the alley. If the cat had entertained thoughts of coming back, it would have hissed again and left, not to return.

Yet most importantly, once the debris and water cleared, what was left behind was a somewhat healed and more vibrant looking mouse. The wound had knit somewhat on its stomach, and its leg was partially reconnected. It seemed almost intelligent, looking around itself curiously before shaking itself to clear its fur of water. It continued to clean for a little bit longer, before it seemed to be secure of itself. Moving in small gestures, the creature began to hop out slowly, moving out of the alley and toward the open street. Its movements were slow and seemingly labored, but much healthier than it had been a moment earlier. The only tinge of redness left was a spot of ruby red fur in between its eyes.

The small rodent continued to pull itself out, until it had successfully made it into the street. After that, it raised its head and sniffed the air. A strange odor, one unlike anything it had ever smelled before, and yet suddenly seemed extremely appealing…waft into his nostrils. It seemed oddly mundane…and yet the rodent suddenly found itself craving it. Craving it more than anything it ever remembered. The nose quickly led it to the right location. It turned its head and looked up.

It found itself staring at the door and display window for the same jeweler. Its little black eyes lit on the gems in the window.

That was it.

As fast as its current strength could take it, the creature turned back to the door and moved over to it. With its small size and rodent body, it had no trouble at all squeezing underneath the crack and gaining entrance.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	18. The Ancient Sage Returns

"Denzel! Wake up already!"

The youth answered with a grunt.

"Denzel!"

"…It's a weekend, ma…"

_"Denzel!"_

This last sharp note, blared almost in the boy's ear, made his eyes snap open. He immediately shot upright from where he was sleeping. Partially because he realized it wasn't Tifa who was yelling at him. Partially because he had been sent into pain from the cry. And last but not least…partially because he remembered the current situation.

Denzel found himself sleeping inside what looked to be an overly cluttered office, one that had very quickly been swept to one side. Most of it was models, maps, and charts, but there were quite a few stacks of papers and documents mixed in as well. The place was surrounded with windows, but all of them were shut. The youth could sense an intense vibration coming from the other side of them. Sound proof glass was the only thing that kept whatever was on the other side from being deafening.

He also noted the floor. Although the debris and office furniture had been swept aside as much as possible, the couch and easy chair had been covered with a ramshackle assortment of blankets, and most of them were disheveled at this point. The floor had one spare cot on it, which was much the same. The rest of it was covered with what looked like large blocks of preformed insulation for airship interiors. Another smattering of blankets were swept all over them. It looked a lot like a slumber party had taken place.

However, at the moment, there was only one person in there. It was Marlene glaring at him from a standing position, crossing her arms and looking disapprovingly at him.

"Come on! It's past noon!" She scolded. "You've been snoring all morning!"

Much as Denzel frowned tiredly in response, it felt good to get a nice scolding from Marlene in light of his returning memories. It almost made everything that had happened yesterday seem like a bad dream.

By the time all of them had managed to get on board and calm down last night, the airship had put in a new course. Denzel was next confronted with two people he barely knew, but seemed to know Ragnar well enough. There was a confusing exchange of information between the two of them, but neither Denzel nor Azure could keep alert that long. The kids almost immediately passed out. Marlene managed to stay up a bit more, but she was running on only an hour of sleep. In the end, no real coherent information could be gained or processed. And after everything that had happened, the newly formed group decided to simply call it a night and rest up. Denzel could hardly argue.

They ended up going to Junon. The captain of that airship, an old war friend of Cloud and Ragnar's named Mack, wanted to take them all the way to the main branch back in former Rocket Town, but that would have taken forever. So instead, they decided to put in there. Mack called ahead and said something to the people there, but Denzel didn't make out what. He was too tired. At any rate, they were cleared for landing. A few workers there greeted them when they came out of the ship. Denzel was relieved. It was nice to run into regular people for a change… After that, they all crammed into the office in this terminal. Denzel didn't know that the same thing had happened earlier that night with their own group, but he didn't care. He was barely able to help set up some makeshift beds before he passed out.

Yet despite the closed blinds, the lights were on in the office and sunlight was streaming in. It had to be rather late in the day at this point. Denzel grumbled a bit longer, stretching himself out, before he looked back up to Marlene and saw that she was still glaring down at him. He sighed. "Alright, alright…" He moaned as he threw off his one blanket. He hadn't any other clothes, so he slept in his underwear and shirt. Nearby, his pants, shoes, and socks were in a disheveled heap. He went to them and started to grumble as he put them on.

The doorknob clicked. The doorway swung open a moment later, letting in a blast of noise from inside the hanger. The roar was almost deafening, and both Denzel and Marlene winced and tried to shield themselves for a moment. However, it closed a second later, giving them both relief. Denzel's ears were still ringing as he calmed down, and looked up to see who had come in.

Azure, bearing a small triangle in plastic wrap that bulged, came up to Denzel and dropped it down next to him. "About time you got up. But it's a bit too late. All that's left of the sandwiches Mr. Router ordered was tunafish."

Denzel immediately formed a petulant expression. "I _hate_ tunafish…"

Azure shrugged. "Get up faster next time. Marlene and I tried to get you up for thirty minutes."

He sighed again as he turned back to his socks and pulled them on. "You could have saved a ham for me…"

"Stop complaining about food." Marlene scolded again. "And hurry up. Everyone's waiting for us. We're going to try and sort out everything that's happened so far. A lot went on with Mr. Router and Ragnar last night. And Shelke was with them too."

Denzel looked up in confusion.

"Shelke Rui." Azure answered. "The girl we picked up last night?"

"Oh…" Denzel answered with half a groan. He turned back to his feet. "Why did you want her to come so bad last night, anyway? You don't actually like her, do you?"

Denzel was so preoccupied with his clothes that he didn't notice Azure suddenly blanch at that, and seem a tad nervous. "…No! I just wanted to help out, that's all!"

"Fine…there's no need to yell it…" Denzel answered with a grumble.

Azure frowned and flustered a moment, but then finally spat out again. "Just hurry and get your shoes on. We've got to go to a meeting."

* * *

In addition to an office, most terminals in the world had at least one conference room, especially in big, large cities like Junon. It was useful for conducting on-site business in an area other than a place where hard hats and ear plugs had to be used, and it allowed room for quite a few more investors and equipment than a main office. It was simple enough. Overhead fluorescent lights, basic carpeting, white walls, a large dry erase board, lots of room for projectors, and a long elliptical table in the middle. And since one was already available, and no meetings were scheduled for that day, Mack decided to make use of this room at the Junon Terminal.

And currently, this was where all of them were. All save for the younger children. Crain, Samoa, and Simoa were staying with an old friend of their parents, Shera Highwind. Luckily, she was in town for a safety inspection that week. Basically she was just to keep an eye on them. She had been friends with Mack for quite a while now, especially after learning about the friendship he and Cid had, and how he had wanted to take over for him. So it was no problem just to keep them in a home environment and allow them to play some games or color by themselves. But everyone else who had been involved in yesterday's events was now here.

Mack himself hardly liked playing the position of leader in this scenario, but he was the oldest and the one with enough mettle to handle it. Rex and Shelke, both seated at the conference table in the room, were hardly good enough for the job. Rex himself was still nervous as a level one pilot going solo on a mission. Shelke herself seemed cold and uninterested in everything in the first place, although Mack did wonder how she was still alive if she was supposed to have died by now… He didn't really know her enough to be happy or sad about her being back among them. All he knew was that last night he had wanted to key in on Shalua's beacon, and instead, as he drew near, he saw a mob attacking a group of people on a roof. And so, on instinct, he fired rockets into them to get them to disperse. It wasn't until later that he realized that those people were probably…

He didn't think about that right now. The thought of what he had accidentally done was not comforting.

The other three occupied chairs in the room were filled with the three older children: Denzel, Azure, and Marlene. Mack was a bit surprised to see them so earnest and alert, especially after all they had said happened to them. Nevertheless, he wished that Vincent Valentine had been with them. He was more dependable…

The pilot turned away from those gathered and looked to the dry erase board. It was a mess of text, shorthand notes, and other details and scraps of information almost impossible to process if you hadn't been there for the past two hours, watching it being constructed. It was a rough ledger of all that had gone on during the previous day. All that everyone knew about anything.

"Alright…here it is." Mack began. "Ragnar Vice finds these bowls. They find it brings espers to life like that Ketzaco…Ketzacola…the big bird. These DeepGround guys steal them and bring to life this really bad esper named Diablos. He's brings other espers to life and he wants to conquer all humans. He sends Shelke out to get the other samples so he can make more espers in this living suit, but Ke…the bird stops it and blasts it off of her. So he gets this seductress esper, Siren, to sing into the emergency broadcast system in Edge, and now everyone in that city is under his control. But this is only after he had one of the other espers swallow Aerith Vice, and at this point we still don't know if he ate her or if he took her to Diablos. Anyway…so you kids escape town with Vincent as fast as you can and get to Kalm. Meanwhile, the guys up north with Ragnar call me in to take them and the remaining samples to Edge, but then the huge things attack and carry off Ragnar. We get in the airship and head back to Edge, but we can't contact them so we drop in Kalm instead. Meanwhile, Vincent leaves you kids in his apartment and goes to city hall to try and tell them to get ready for a possible attack. Shelke breaks off from our group and tries to go to DeepGround to recharge, and both of you happen to bump into one another when you run into this ugly gang of guys who came from Midgar. Evidently, there's been tons of these gangs pouring into Kalm, and they waited until they were all in place to spring the trap. Meanwhile, the purple thing that swallowed Mrs. Vice comes in and steals the case, only dropping one more sample, which the bird takes and flies off to wherever she has the others. We take off and try to find Shalua, because she took one of the samples herself and ran off, Instead, we find you guys fighting off a pack of brainwashed people who were looking for you or Shelke. Did I miss anything?"

Denzel leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table. "I'd like it better if you didn't call us 'kids'…"

"In short, we've got a hell of a mess on our hands." Mack ended with a groan. He went to the table and planted his palms on it so he could lean his head down. "I don't even know where to begin. The bird bugged out on us. She's the only one who really understood this Diablos guy…"

"We should probably start by warning _this_ city." Rex finally offered. "I mean…this place is next, right?"

Mack gave a nod in response to that and leaned up. "That part's taken care of, at least. I called City Hall myself this morning. Naturally, they had a hard time swallowing it, but that was until people who started making calls into Midgar turned nuts. They've already corraled about a hundred of them. Now they're ordering a lock out of their broadcasts and radio transmissions. Highway to Edge is officially closed."

"Is anyone…getting better? You know, who got brainwashed?" Marlene asked.

Mack frowned as he turned to her. "They're having to hog tie them and separate them. When they're together, they start making plans. They aren't afraid of being shot either. They've been charging until the bullets have run out, from what I heard."

"We've got to do something about this." Azure spoke up next. "We can't let this thing continue to get worse. Whoever this Diablos is, he's not stupid. He'll find another way to get into this town. He somehow pirated the airwaves back in Edge. If he does the same here, it won't matter how prepared people are."

Mack let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, we don't have many options. Your parents were in Edge when the soundwave hit, and from what you've told me they're no good to us now. Reeve was at Isuzu Industries, so that leaves him and that company out. Aerith and Ragnar are both out of the picture. We have no idea where Vincent is…if he was ambushed or if he's still there or what. Shalua has run off to who knows where in Kalm, and she might be captured or worse by now. That only leaves two people who the generals used to know who were good in situations like this…Colonel Nanaki and Commander Yuffie Kisaragi." He hesitated a moment afterward and let out another sigh. "…And Nanaki is away from Cosmo Canyon at the moment. I already tried. Mrs. Kisaragi is ready and willing…but I don't know if that will help our fortunes very much."

Rex looked to Shelke in response. "Can you get us into DeepGround?"

"Severely unlikely." Shelke answered flatly, staring ahead. It was the first she had spoken in thirty minutes. "I have no idea what new security measures Diablos has installed, but he contains the memories of Weiss and all of the dead in that area. He knows the entire facility in and out. By now, he could be changing it in untold ways. Even if another full sized military force existed that could rival the entire populace of Edge transformed into soldiers, they'd never be able to get inside through all of the automated security measures."

"Then is there a way to sneak a smaller group in?" Denzel asked.

"Slightly more possible." Shelke answered. "But mostly just as dangerous, especially for non-skilled personnel. Even then, what would our target be?"

"Killing that witch, of course!" Denzel spat back, as if it was obvious.

"In that case, the chance of success nearly shrinks to nothing." Shelke responded calmly. "If simply hearing her voice a little is enough to entrance someone, no one could hope to lift a finger against her."

Denzel paused on hearing that, and then leaned back and fumed, crossing his arms. "We can't just sit here."

Mack stepped back and rolled his head tiredly. He held a hand to his brow and wiped against it. "I guess we have no choice right now. We have to head to Wutai next. They're the only ones with even a small standing army. But if we're going, we're taking one of the big ships. _Excalibur_ is in port right now. I know there's quite a few veterans working at this field. I'll have to see if I can scare up a crew for one that big. If it goes into combat, I'm going to want to have it more than just automated."

* * *

Azure let out an exhale of his own. One leg was drawn up to his chest. The other kicked under it loosely. With something of a bored expression, he took up a stone and tossed it out over the ocean. Probably a bad idea. This place was still so polluted that it had all manner of abominations living in it. You could upset one by doing that. At any rate, it didn't skim. Something about the waves against the shore disrupted it. The silver-haired youth let out a sigh and leaned back against the rocky portion of the beach. His hands folded behind his head as he lazily stared upward, letting the sun slowly beat down on him.

So this was what was left to them now. They were safe, but now that they were they were fairly useless as well. He supposed they'd be going along with them when they flew off, but what now? He couldn't even help them get ready. None of them could. And to be honest, he was upset that they couldn't do more than what they were doing. Vincent was gone. His parents were slaves. Lots of innocent people were dying. And there seemed so little they could do about it. What would going to Wutai really solve in the grand scheme of things? They were facing such overwhelming odds as it was…and they were getting worse all the time at this point. Could they afford to make a move like that? But if not, what else was there? Charging right in?

And so, here he was. Sitting out by the ocean and waiting for something more eventful to happen. He supposed he could be practicing like Denzel, or going to Mr. Router to see if there was something he could do to at least make himself feel a little less useful, but he didn't see how it would matter in the long run. All that was left to him was listening to the ocean roll in and out, and gazing overhead to see the seabirds fly by…as well as the sensation that he needed to be doing something more than what he was doing right now, than what any of them were doing right now.

The youth sighed at long last. He supposed he had best try to do something to be productive. Hanging around wasn't for him, and brooding certainly wasn't helping a thing. He had to be useful for something around here. At the least, he could visit the twins and Crain. They had practically shoved them aside since last night, but they had to be going through a lot too and they needed attention. With that in mind, he began to lean up to get on his feet.

He had only managed to get to a sit up before he stopped.

He wasn't sure how she had managed to do it…but Shelke was right there, staring out at the ocean. Somehow she had managed to come and walk around him to this point. Now she stood with her back to him, silently staring out at the ocean, and letting the breezes of the sea blow against her.

Azure paused for a moment, staring on at her and her position. Then he continued to sit up, getting his legs underneath him and pushing up into a stance. He hesitated a bit longer, staring at her from behind. After that…he slowly ventured a foot forward. A light crunch, almost undetectable among the lapping waves, resounded as his foot touched rock.

"Yes?" The girl immediately asked without turning.

Azure stopped in midstep. "…I was just going to say hello."

"Hello." Shelke answered. "Is that all?"

The youth paused for a moment in response to that, a little taken aback at how to respond after this. "…I…guess I thought you'd be helping with the others."

"There's nothing much for me to do up there." Shelke answered. "I was planning on getting a new weapon, but if we're headed for Wutai I might as well hold off until we get there. I'll likely find something more my style."

Azure raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "So you're staying with us?"

"We have a common cause, and I don't know what else I can do at this point." Shelke responded. "If I was ambushed so quickly after my move to go to DeepGround, it's clear that they're all keeping an eye out for me. Perhaps if we hadn't run into those two espers at Gateway, they would have never known I was still alive. As it is, I only stand a true chance of penetrating DeepGround with assistance or full power. If I wish for either, then I must stay here a bit longer."

Hearing this gained the youth's interest. "…Either?"

Shelke turned her head ever so slightly behind her, before turning it back to the ocean.

"…You haven't forgotten what I said last night already, have you? Or the reason I left them back at the airfield?"

Azure hesitated at that. As a matter of fact, he did. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but last night he did notice that Shalua had suddenly seemed to grow stronger, especially while fleeing. And she had been talking about how she was going to die, and it had been well over three hours at that point.

"Yes."

"I didn't bother mentioning this in there because I didn't fully understand it myself. I still don't. I only have a theory." She responded. "Right after you threw me out the window, I noticed that my energy level seemed to rise. I looked and tried to find the source, and I caught a glimpse of some pale blue humanoid figure in the window across the street. It hid as soon as I looked at it. Based on what knowledge I have, I can conclude some things, or at least make a good assumption. I know I cannot live without mako power or planet spiritual energy. I also know espers can wield powers that are made from such energy. I also know that Dr. Rui must have taken one of the samples with her when she abandoned the others, and that the airship was keying in on her location. My guess is that she made a hasty, risky, and foolish decision, and attempted to give life to an esper in hopes that it would be able to help me. That would explain why they picked up Dr. Rui's presence in the area, and I saw, what I believe to me, an unknown esper."

Azure took this in and continued to hold back, soon tossing it over in his mind. "…Well, foolish as it might have been, I'm guessing it worked." He answered. "Whoever it was seemed willing to help you."

"That doesn't change the fact of how irresponsible it was." Shelke flatly and emotionlessly answered. "If we in DeepGround had not been in such a rush to save our leader, none of this would have happened. Now Dr. Rui may have released something that will be worse than Diablos or Siren."

Azure tilted his head. His own face was rather expressionless.

"…Why do you call her that?"

Shelke's head turned slightly behind her.

"'Dr. Rui'. She's your sister, isn't she?"

The girl continued to stay paused for a moment, before turning her head back. "That is irrelevant to anything of what is going on at the present time."

"I'd have to disagree." Azure returned. "If she did what you say she did, then you'd be dead by now if it wasn't for her. Mistake or no mistake. Aren't you at all grateful to her for that?"

"For what?" Shelke simply answered, still rather emotionless. "For extending my purposeless life a bit longer? For making me endure as I am for another day?"

"You didn't seem to hate yourself so much that you didn't risk going to DeepGround yourself to recharge." The boy retorted.

"…I don't need her help."

"You did last night."

"I did over ten years ago." Shelke suddenly retorted with a cold snap underlying her voice, betraying her emotionless typical self. The result actually made Azure pause again. "And she didn't come then. That was when I needed her. Now…I only have a will to survive. I have a will to survive because DeepGround wants all of its soldiers to possess that. It's what makes them willing to kill in order to live and to keep killing no matter how injured or hurt they become. That's not the same as the will to live. I once did have a will to live. I had a _life_ to live. And she didn't save that. She didn't save me when I really needed her to come to my rescue. No matter how much I prayed or wept or whispered into the night…no matter how much I kept doing it even when they struck me and conditioned me to kill my emotions…she never came."

"…But you don't think she tried? That she wanted to?" Azure answered. "That maybe she didn't know where to look? How to find you?"

"Is that stopping you from going back to Edge to look for your parents?"

Azure was forced to be silent for a moment.

"If she had been dead, that would have been something. I still would have ceased to believe in anyone or anything. I still would have learned that life is fragile and one person's determination is ultimately inconsequential. Yet I wouldn't have had to know that she was living in the real world with real people, where children are allowed to laugh and adults are allowed to cry and death is a tragedy rather than a status. That while she was up above in the real world I was sealed in a layer of Hell losing more and more of myself with each passing day."

"That's still not fair." Azure responded, actually stepping forward again. "Wasn't she missing an eye? An arm? You don't think it required pain and sacrifice to have that happen to her?"

Shelke hesitated. "…I still consider it minor to what I lost. I would have given up an eye and an arm and a leg as well to retain what they took from me. To unsee what I have seen. Death is the only thing that should keep someone apart from what they think is truly important."

Azure tightened his grip and narrowed his gaze.

"And if she had died…then what?"

This phrase seemed to catch the girl off guard. She turned her head back to him again. This time, her pale blue eyes met his pale green ones. But his were hard and focused.

"You just said yourself what. Aside from the bitterness you have toward her right now, nothing would have changed. It wouldn't have stopped what they did to you. So where was the value in her totally throwing her life away for you?"

Shelke stared silently back.

"Did you ever think that maybe the reason she wasn't dead…maybe the reason she was able to go through things that had made her lose her arm and eye and still be breathing after she was done…that maybe it was because she knew she couldn't die? Not until she had found you? Not until she had rescued you? That maybe she didn't want whoever had taken you dragging her body in front of them to crush any sense of hope you might have still had? What makes more sense to you? Being so committed to something that you're able to drag yourself out of the grave? Or being so uncaring about it that you give up and die the first chance that comes to you? To leave your mission undone?"

The girl looked away again, and back to the ocean. Azure couldn't tell if she was ignoring him or thinking about what he was saying. However, he kept his look and continued to stare at the back of her head.

"You were wrong, by the way." He told her. "Death isn't the only thing that should keep you apart from what's important. If the thing is truly important…not even death can stop you."

Again, there was no answer. Azure looked on at her…and he thought he could almost see her bend her head slightly, perhaps in consideration of what she was hearing. However, he couldn't be sure. There was a good chance that what he had said left no effect. He frowned, this time in irritation. He let out a small sigh toward the girl. It seemed as if this wasn't getting anywhere. In another moment, he might have turned and left.

And that was the exact moment in which a giant, golden bird decided to sweep down in front of the both of them, spreading its luminescent wings out to dazzle both with an electric glow.

The youth was not often surprised, but he found himself yanking back and raising an arm to his face at the sudden appearing of what seemed to be a great, electrical monster. A ripple of panic shot through him as he was momentarily immobilized by the creature, seeming to be wrapped in a glorious aura. It lasted only a moment, however. After that, he quickly forced his jaw to tighten, and reined back his fear. He locked his feet into place and leaned forward again. In another moment, he might have summoned the Masamune to himself.

However, on recovering, he froze. He looked again in front of him, at a form that had become a rather dark shadow in the face of the golden energy suddenly flapping in front of them, hovering just a few feet above the beach and sea level. It was then that he saw that Shelke was not moving. Her head had leaned up a bit, but other than that she was standing calm and looking back at the creature. She didn't seem the least bit afraid. And it couldn't have been due solely to bravery. Azure could tell from back here that she was pretty relaxed.

That was when it clicked. Shelke's group said they had run into an electrical bird esper…

_This must be…_

Azure held back a bit longer. After all, this was an intimidating sight, to suddenly be face to face with some unearthly creature pulsating energy. However, he managed a swallow, and then stood up straight. With somewhat forced movements, and ones held back by some awe, he managed to walk forward. As he did, he immediately felt his hair prickle, and the air started to grow charged. A breeze of wind from the creature seemed to come over him, and its light became more blinding. Yet he squinted and continued forward. He did so until he was right at Shelke's side. Only then did he pause and look up to it with some hesitation. The creature didn't appear to have much of a face, so he looked at its head the best he could.

"Are you…Quetzacoatl?" He asked.

"Yes." Shelke answered for the bird esper, rather flatly.

Azure looked back to her a moment, but then looked up to the bird esper again. It didn't seem to have changed. He was a bit nervous about what to say. He had never talked to a monster before… And this thing was cascading with so much power that he wondered if he'd be zapped if he said the slightest thing to annoy it. Yet he couldn't just stand there staring at it…

"Are you…on our side?"

"Who are you?" The esper answered, most surprisingly to Azure. The voice was rather loud and lined with power, but not overall blasting or booming as he assumed it would be. It was still a bit intimidating regardless…

"Azure Strife." Shalua answered. "He's the son of Cloud Strife, the friend of Ragnar Vice. You can trust him."

Azure looked back to Shelke for a moment, not expecting her to actually endorse him. However, he looked back a moment later.

At any rate, the esper seemed to be content with this answer. She immediately went on to a different subject. "I'm sorry I left you so soon and without a word. However, I had no choice. There was much that I had to do, and the past half of a day has been spent in aggressive preparation. Our side is going to have to move quickly now. Things have gotten a lot worse."

The youth gave a grimace at that as he crossed his arms. "…We kind of already know that."

"No, you don't." The esper answered back sharply, with much colder seriousness in her voice. "Everything that has happened up until now is nothing. Something much worse is being covered up by it. It's something I couldn't even guess. It's so serious that some of us wished to come back to the mortal realm simply so that they could have a chance at preventing it."

This got Azure's full attention. His eyes widened a bit as he uncrossed his arms. "What is it?"

"I don't fully understand it myself." Quetzacoatl answered. "But another of us will be able to answer you. Will you be remaining here or going onward?"

"We're leaving for Wutai soon." Shelke responded.

The esper looked puzzled at that, or as puzzled as a nearly-faceless bird can be. "…I'm not sure where or what Wutai is…but our lord will be able to gain that knowledge from mind reading. Very well. We'll meet you there tonight." The esper began to turn to depart.

"Wait!" Azure called as he stepped forward, making her pause. "Where in Wutai? It's an entire island continent."

"Just go somewhere near the ocean and away from people or settlements." Quetzacoatl answered. "We'll find you."

Without another word, she turned and gave a flap of her wings. If Azure wanted to inquire anything else, it was soon too late. The bird sailed up into the sky and appeared to sink into the sun, her own golden light mixing with it and making her vanish. Azure looked after her and tried to track her, but he was blinded and forced to cover his eyes. Even when he adjusted somewhat, he was still unable to see her. And even if he could have, it wouldn't have done any good. She was out of earshot, and by now was going miles and miles away.

The youth was left to sigh and slump back in defeat. He hesitated there a moment. What did Quetzacoatl mean by all that? Was that what she had gone to do? Get more espers for them? And if so, how did they know they weren't evil? Who were they? And how did they know more about this than they did if they had been dead for so long?

Nevertheless…considering how lost and without any real plans they were right now, he supposed they had better check on it. This was Azure's first experience with an esper period, and it hadn't been that negative. And it would help if they had a bit more power on their side, especially if all of the other espers were currently fighting against them, and they had managed to catch Ragnar and Aerith…

The youth turned back to Shelke after a moment. She was still calm and controlled, and looked back to him.

"Let's get back to Captain Mack and tell him about this."

* * *

The captain leaned back a bit more in his chair, scratching a bit at his stubble. Like his predecessor, he didn't really put much stock in shaving when he was busy with something. Unlike him, however, he stayed far away from cigarettes. He gnawed on a piece of gum instead. After a few moments went by, he finally leaned back up and gave a shrug.

"Hell…you've got my vote. If they can make any sense about all the crazy crap that's going on, then great."

Denzel let out a sigh himself as he turned to Azure. "The least you could have done was tell us the esper was here. I wanted to get a look at it…"

"I'm sure that wasn't a high priority on his list, Denzel…" Marlene answered with something of a sigh.

Getting people back together hadn't been hard. Everyone was mostly hanging around the base as it was, waiting for Mack's phone calls to take effect. The crew was prepping the _Excalibur_ at the moment, and Mack had managed to get a six-person skeleton crew together. Not exactly good for all occasions, but they'd be able to make the ship fight if it came to combat. The only reason that it had been able to fire in the previous situations was because Mack had either put the ship into a hover and ran to weapons, or used only the generalized automated fire function. As for the others, they were mostly hanging around. Rex was looking a bit pale from having to endlessly explain himself to his supervising professor that morning, and was nervously pushing his glasses up. Shelke and Azure were naturally there, with Denzel and Marlene standing nearby.

After offering her latest chastisement of her friend, Marlene turned back to Mack. "But what are we going to do about Crain, Samoa, and Simoa? If we're going to be getting into trouble, I'd rather not take them anywhere…"

"No problem." Mack answered. "After I called up Shera and told her that we're going to head to Wutai, she agreed to look after them for a couple days. Told them that they're going on a bit of a vacation. She'll take 'em back to Highwind."

Denzel let out another sigh at this. It wasn't due to selfish regret this time, however. It was genuine melancholy.

"…I feel like I should probably stay with them… I didn't really have the coolest head back in Edge, and I know dad and mom would want me to look out for Crain…"

Azure turned to him and tried to smile to encourage him. "Hey…it's my responsibility too." He reminded. "And we are looking out for them. We're putting them almost on the other side of the Planet and away from Midgar. And I'm sure mom and dad would want us to help out if we could and take care of them at the same time."

Marlene tried to smile at him too. "Don't worry about it, Denzel. My dad had to leave me behind when he was off saving the world too. It's no problem. I usually had a fun time."

The youth was still a bit hesitant after hearing all that, but it was clear that he valued the attempts at consolation that his friends had offered. He managed a small smile as well after a short while. "I guess you're right. Thanks guys."

"Well, if that's settled…" Mack continued as he began to rise up from his own chair. "Let's get a move on. It's going to take a while to get to Wutai. It will already be dark by the time we get there, but if we want to be early at all we'll need to get the airship in gear pretty soon."

* * *

It was rather fitting that this had once been an intended storage pit for waste. It sure looked like that at this point, so in that respect this portion of DeepGround had not changed. However, the waste was meant to be either human biological or chemical. It wasn't properly lined for mako like the pit around Mako Reactor Zero had to be. Those ones were expensive and very special built. This one was co-opted for various kinds of waste treatment. If DeepGround had been back in its prime with lots of personnel and waste from munitions production, it might have been necessary.

As it was, this pit, one of several now in use by Diablos-controlled DeepGround, would serve a new purpose.

The area around it had changed. At one point, it had been a simple corridor off of the main portion of the underground munitions plants. It had been made far more open since then. Teams of human slaves, dark with grime and oil, were ripping down the last remains of the dividing wall as fast as they could. They were doing more than that, however. Most of the conduits and pipes were being removed as well. The bare rock was being exposed. For now, electrical lights were still being used. But those too were quickly being stripped and replaced by torches. It wasn't just for aesthetics. Diablos knew that placement of fire in relation to rock was important to properly channel certain magical properties. And fire was far easier on the eyes of his newest minions. The Sahagin were hurt by electric lighting. The gargoyles weren't too accustomed to it either. And his newest minions wouldn't do well with it either. But the scent of ash and flame would invigor them. In the meantime, the scrap was being ripped out and dragged away to the furnaces. For now, it was being smelted and reforged. But it wouldn't truly be ready until his new coven of black wizards had fully mastered the dark arts. Then it would really be on.

Yet there was still much, much work to do. And though he had more manpower and all were working together, things were still far too slow. He needed to…improve them. But before that, he wished for his hoarde units to be…enhanced. Human bodies were fair when enraged, but even the strongest human could be felled by gunfire. He needed something more…

Hence, he had converted this pit with his first bit of dark magic. It wasn't that hard. Having full knowledge of dark potions from the most cruel, demented, vile witches in history as well as from the father of dark enchantments himself, Hades, he was quite skilled at making this.

Sahagin surrounded the pit, making horrible gagging noises in their throat and looking generally irritable and cross. They would just have to deal with it. Once his first batch of improved slaves were done, they could take over. But for now, they would fuel his industry. They were going about stirring the contents of the pit with extra large rods. In the meantime, other Sahagin were busy rigging up a series of several metal harnesses with chains on numerous spots around the pit. Inside the pit itself looked like it could have been human waste…especially given its rather brown appearance. However, it also seemed to be intermixed with various fatty oils and other grotesquely puke-colored substances that the Sahagin were constantly churning into it. It was boiling fat bubbles that took forever to pop, and it smelled twice as bad as it looked…which, considering its appearance, was rather horrid indeed.

Diablos watched as it was made and stirred for quite some time, waiting until it seemed to be just the right consistency. The moment it was, however, he stretched out a taloned hand…now dripping a few bits of pale flesh…and beckoned. "Bring the first."

In response, there was a shuffling to Diablos' left. A moment later, and in walked a brainwashed human. He was completely nude save for the barest strip of belted loincloth around his middle. Two Sahagin were behind him, shoving him on with their tridents. It wasn't necessary, however. He was subservient to Diablos now. He reached the edge of the pit and began to slowly walk around it, moving to the area in front of the dark esper. A group of Sahagin were adjusting one of the metal harnesses there, and they turned to the arrival as he began to approach. They stepped back a bit when he reached them and turned forward, facing the pit. After that, he stood still.

"Harnesses."

The Sahagin immediately went to work. Both the old plus the new ones took up the chains and harness and went to the man. They quickly strapped it around his chest, over his shoulders, around his forearms, and underneath his legs to make sure that he was well secured. After tightening it, they all backed off. They revealed the man suspended by chains from some system in the ceiling.

"Lower him."

By the back wall of the chamber, two of the human minions went to work. There were a set of wheels back there interlocking with chains. One of them immediately began to rotate the first. As a result, the chains began to pull against the man as the fixture was drawn out over the foul pit. He stood there calmly in response, up until the chains became taut and pulled against him. After that, he let himself be yanked along with it. He was already fairly close to the edge, so he only had to go forward a foot or so before his feet went over the side of the pit. Once there, he simply hung loosely. The crank continued to turn, and as it was, his now dangling body was drawn farther and farther out over the pit, until it was fairly far from the edge.

When that happened, the other human went to work. He began to turn his own crank. In response…the human lowered toward the muck. Despite the overpowering stench, the popping of huge greasy bubbles, and all other manner of noxious things, the man was indifferent. He continued to be so as the steam and sludge began to start coming over him. Finally…his feet touched the muck. With a horrible slippery sound, they sank into it. The feet soon vanished into it, followed by the legs…the hips…the hands…the torso…the arms…the shoulders…the neck…and finally the head. In the end, there was nothing above it save for the ends of the chains.

The Sahagin almost stopped in their stirring. Those from the harness peeked over the edge and looked in. Diablos himself calmly waited, tapping his finger against his arm and watching with some small smile on his face. The pit continued to bubble and churn as the two parties continued to watch. No movement came from within the liquid, other than the constant boiling and horrible mixing.

Finally, the esper raised a finger to his slaves.

"Bring him out."

The second slave turned to the valve immediately. Had he not been brainwashed, one might have realized that he initially saw that he needed far more effort than before to begin turning it. However, after struggling a bit longer, he managed to turn it normally with the increased strength. The chain began to retract again.

It didn't take long at all for a mounded shape to come out from the mixture, completely coated in gunk. It continued to rise, slowly coming forth from the pit and moving to the shoulders next. The material immediately began to start dripping off. True to the sucking noise that the action was making, it seemed to almost draw it back into itself. However…one would soon notice that something wasn't right. The man had been large…but he wasn't that large. The shoulders were far longer and broader. One could have ascribed it to adhering gunk, but that wasn't the case. It was coming off fast, and it soon made it clear that it wasn't. The body had seemed to grow larger…

That only worsened as the form continued to rise from the pit. The arms had gotten longer and much more massive. The torso was far thicker. The legs were far more solid. The man himself seemed to be breathing a lot harder. That, or at least each motion was making the chest rise and fall rather heavily. As he continued to rise, the fluid continued to drip off and expose more, and as it did so the figure beneath seemed less and less like the original…

The chains came all the way to the top. The next human turned the other crank, and began to pull him back. The gunk continued to fall off…and then the details began to come forth. The man was no longer of average height…but now seemed a good seven feet tall. His body was built like a tree trunk, and as the muck fell off he revealed toned muscles and large fists. The feet and hands had hooks on them from long claws. The hair had grown long and seemed to be black as more and more material came off of it. The skin that started to be exposed didn't look all that fair and beige anymore either… It seemed to have a dark greenish tint.

The Sahagin backed away as the form came to a rest in front of Diablos. By now…the man was making noises…periodic low grunts. They definitely didn't sound human. The turtle creatures held back in unease a bit longer, looking to each other uncomfortably. In the end, however, they came forward and slowly moved their hands for the sludge-covered harnesses. The man immediately snapped a head that seemed much larger and thicker to them and snarled with a mouth far too big. They shot back in fear…but the man didn't react any more than that. He just resumed his growling. With that in mind, they uneasily came forward again and quickly began to undo the harness as it glared at each of them.

Diablos watched with his yellow eyes narrowing.

_There are too few useful races left in this world. Creatures are one thing, but I need minions. And humans don't fit the bill. There are a few that could use special, specific enhancements…ones that could be my commanders and my elite…but for the general troop I need to make them far better. And since there are no special races to go over, I'll just have to make them myself…_

The last restraint was released, and the Sahagin fled. There was no need, however. The man was still completely under his control. If anything, it was now cemented. His body now matched the savagery of his mind. His intelligence was sufficiently shrunken to where there was little chance of rebellion. And best of all, his speed, strength, and constitution were now suitable toward Diablos' needs.

Slowly, the man turned around to Diablos. Only it was no longer a man. It was a large, bulky, green humanoid creature. As the face turned to face him, the jaw projected with heavy thickness, showing off two massive lower incisors that poked upward out of his lip like sabers. The rest of his teeth were large and thick, and his breathing was heavy and animal-like. The hair had lengthened and turned greasy while the brow had smoothed and receeded. However, the eyes were still blood red.

Immediately on seeing its master…the monster dropped into a kneel before it, bowing its head to the ground.

"Rise, pit troll." Diablos beckoned it. "You're the first of my new army."

* * *

Denzel didn't realize how bored he could be until the trip to Wutai. On his own trip to the Northern Continent years ago, he was so frightened of being caught and intent on fighting Sephiroth that he forgot all about the trip itself. And yesterday his adrenaline had been running pretty much at full output during their entire flight from Edge, which really hadn't taken all that long anyway. But this? It felt like torture.

The youth had quickly gotten bored with blade practice, and for most of the trip sat in the main hall against the corridor wall, crossed his legs over each other, and kicked with his foot slightly. Yet the engines still continued to hum for hours on end. Junon was roughly the same longitude as Midgar, and so they pretty much had to travel around to the other side of Gaia itself. Even in a high-powered airship, that wasn't a fast trip. Twelve hours was how much Mack had said. And the number had only been slowly decreasing as Mack continued to ask him, again and again, questions equivalent to "are we there yet?". Eventually, the bridge was locked, and Denzel was left sitting there.

He tried his best to pass the time. It wasn't entirely out of idleness. Having time to himself to just sit and think, he would start thinking both of his parents and little brother. And that would start filling him with fear and doubt. Most of all…he started to think back to last night…when that man who had made his hands into metal claws had charged… No question there of whether or not Azure had assisted him. That one was all him… He tried to choke it back. He had to be ready to do that again soon. That, or find a way to disable them without killing them. And currently, he had little ideas rather than letting them have it with the pommel of his sword. Yet he believed only Azure had enough power to do that. Strong as he was, he knew his friend/brother was stronger.

So he tried hanging out with Azure a bit. Unfortunately, both of them had real weapons now, and couldn't hope to practice without potentially doing some real damage. Marlene was on the upper deck, leaning her arms on the railing and looking out over the clouds passing by. She didn't offer much…other than she wished she could be a bit more help on the trip. The fact was, even if she had a gun, she wasn't trained with how to use it. The best she could do was try a bit of fist fighting. She said she had wanted to check with Aerith numerous times to see if she had any magical ability herself, since she seemed to have a bit of ability to sense when something was wrong. But she never had the chance… She reasoned she would try to find something in Wutai that could help her out. Denzel stayed up there a bit himself.

Dinner came. Once again, sandwiches that Mack had run out and bought and shoved in the mini-fridge on board. Marlene cautioned that they had to make sure to pay the captain back for everything when they had the chance, but both Azure and Denzel were waiting to get through this first. At least he got a ham one this time. After eating, it was back to the upper deck. The sun was slowly setting at that point. But even when it had gone under the horizon and the sky had turned dark, they were still traveling. Denzel sighed and went back into his place in the hallway.

It seemed to be an eternity longer before, at long last, while he was sitting in the corridor, nearly nodding off, that a sound came over the loudspeakers throughout the airship.

_"Beginning our approach to Wutai."_

When Denzel heard this, his eyes immediately snapped open. _Finally!_ Quickly, he scrambled up to his feet, pulling his new sheath with his new sword tight to himself to keep it from clicking around. Once he had gotten up, he turned to the door to the main cabin and ran up to it. Once he arrived, he already began to hear the others coming in, but he ignored it. He was there first, and he banged on it.

"Come on! Open up!"

A sigh came out from the other side. "…Fine, but this time stay out of everyone's way." A muffled voice returned. A moment later, and the hydraulics hissed as the door slid to the side and into a slot. Denzel quickly ran in.

The bridge was filled with crewmembers now. And it was much larger than on the smaller model that Mack had flown in last night. Most of the displays were the latest technology, giving high resolution readouts and displays and controls that Denzel didn't have the slightest idea operated. He thought he had heard something about this technology actually being discovered rather than entirely built from scratch…but he might have imagined that, or been thinking of a movie. At any rate, the seven crew members in all mostly fleshed out the entire set of consoles. Earlier, there had been an observation platform in front of the huge glass bubble that took up half the room, allowing anyone a look out. Yet by now, it was night. The illumination came from dim lights and the glows of consoles. Outside, the _Excalibur_'s own lights were all that provided visual information, and right now they were simply showing clouds as the airship lowered to that level of the atmosphere.

Denzel rushed ahead to the observation platform anyway. The door closed behind him, but soon opened again to allow Azure to rush out too. Marlene walked in soon behind. Shelke calmly strode in about fifteen seconds later. Pulling up the rear at about a minute behind was Rex, who was polishing his glasses as he came out. One by one, they all began to gather on the observation platform. Although there was a crowd of them, it mattered little to the pilot due to his elevated position relative to the sub-level platform. They all looked out just as the airship cleared the clouds and down to the world far below.

Denzel was still amazed that it looked so tiny from up here…like they were staring at some map or flat carpet. Even the mountains of the rugged continent of Wutai looked small by comparison to them as they flew. And because of the bubble, it produced the effect of almost feeling like you were flying yourself down in on it. It was remarkable and a bit disorientating. Yet it was night now, and as a result they saw a collection of lights clustered together in a geometric spacing far below, nestled in a valley around a C-shape of mountains.

"There's the capitol." Mack pointed out. "Keep in mind, it's almost 0500 hours here, since we were going against the sun."

Rex looked incredulous at that. "Dang…we lost a ton of time…"

Mack frowned in response. "…It's only been twelve hours where we started…it's just tomorrow over here."

"Then let's find a place to set down outside of town." Denzel responded. "There should be some place flat enough, right?"

"Not many, but I have a spot in mind." Mack answered. "Should be far enough away from town to keep anyone other than us from seeing it. Just outside of city air space. Navigator…" This sudden call caused one of the crew members to look slightly to him. "Lock in those coordinates I had you find earlier. We'll set her down there and let the others go and check it out."

Marlene turned to Mack with some surprise. So did Azure and Rex. "Others? You mean we're going alone?"

"It should be fine, right?" Mack simply answered. "Besides, I don't want to get too close to them with this airship. I can't guarantee no itchy trigger fingers. And I don't want to scare them off either if they aren't familiar with one of these. If something comes up, I'll hand out a remote to you. Just press the button and that means you need us for an air strike."

"Air strike?" Rex answered. "You're just going to blow away the area while we're there?"

"Give me some credit. I hit that one back in Gateway all by myself, didn't I?" Mack answered. "If you're this worried about it, maybe we should blow this meeting all together."

"It will be fine." Shelke simply stated, without turning her head. "I'll hold the remote. Just set us down as close as you can and we'll walk from there."

* * *

This area was a bit too cool for Denzel's tastes. And a bit too rough as well. He was used to living his life on rocky substances, but they were also usually smooth too. But now he found himself hiking over more rough and uneven ground. Closer to where they had landed had been alright, but as they got farther away from the airship and closer to the coast, the ground had become more uneven and rough. And the breezes that were rolling off the ocean were a bit chilly too. It made him wish he had brought a jacket along when they fled Edge.

The boy turned his head behind him and looked to see if the airship was still visible. It was, but it was getting smaller all the time. All of its lights were out by now, and as a result Denzel could see past it, far away to the city of Wutai. Luckily the moonlight was fairly bright tonight, and as they got closer to the ocean, it reflected off of it to provide even more illumination. Despite the time, he could see fairly well. Behind him he saw Rex huffing a bit and adjusting his glasses, but still ready and eager to come out with the rest of them. Looking to his side a bit, he saw Marlene gritting her teeth and bearing through the cooler weather as she went along too. Then he looked back ahead. Leading the group was Azure and Shelke. Shelke had taken the lead early on and seemed to navigate the stones fairly easily. Azure had fallen alongside her. He couldn't tell if they were talking or if he was simply marching ahead. They were getting close now, at any rate. The sound of the ocean's groan was becoming more distinct the closer they got, and it was rather loud by now.

After this, however, he turned back to Marlene. The girl continued to pick her way up along the rocks. He hesitated a bit longer…before moving in a bit closer with his own step.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She looked up to him, and gave a bit of an uneasy smile. "Nervous, mostly." She answered. "I mean…Ragnar used to tell us all about all of these stories of espers. I believed in them when I was a bit younger, but now I've started to think they were all fantasies. I'm still having a hard time believing this whole thing is due to mythical monsters. I shouldn't… I've seen enough real monsters by now to believe in them. But it's a little nerve-wracking…that we're actually going to be face-to-face with one. I can't believe Azure wasn't more amazed."

"Eh, that's Azure for you…" Denzel answered…only half saying that, not wanting to talk about Azure at the moment… He paused a bit longer, and then was nearly about to turn and go back.

"Oh…stay close, please." Marlene answered as she saw him doing this. "I can't feel the wind so much when you're near me."

Denzel nearly snapped back to her at that. A moment later, and he was surpressing a grin. "…Sure."

The group continued to walk forward for a few more seconds, but overall they didn't get much closer. The ground began to slope downward, headed toward the approaching ocean. The rocks began to smooth out from where they had been weathered, and the shore began to be ground into finer sand. Azure and Shelke continued on a bit closer, headed toward where the water was lapping away at the ground. After that, however…he came to a halt. Shelke seemed to agree, for she stopped as well. The youth turned back to the others.

"I think here's probably close enough."

Denzel and Marlene continued on until they were pretty much right behind the two. Rex came in from behind a moment later. They all clumped together a bit and held. The older children and the geology student looked to each other a bit, while Shelke focused solely on the ocean. Denzel himself looked back out a moment later. The sea was a bit rough, but not incredibly so. It gently rolled as they stood there. And so, the five held tight and waited.

A few minutes passed. The five waited like children huddled around a geyser they expected to erupt, or, more appropriately, a sight of a gift-giving sprite on a holiday. The ocean was the only real sound. They looked up and around themselves a few times, both to the sky as well as around the ground, back toward the mountains and the city. Nothing stood out right away. And as time ticked by, nothing else seemed to happen either. Denzel moistened his lips and kept waiting as time ticked on.

"…You think they really know where to find us?" Rex asked.

"At least one of them can fly. They should be able to spot us from overhead." Shelke answered.

Denzel let out an exhale, crossed his arms, and continued to wait. The five kept looking around as the moon slowly made its way across the sky. The ocean continued to slowly lap. Denzel eventually looked to the horizon, and began to wonder if his eyes were adjusting or if he was starting to see the first small traces of dawn begin to come forward. He couldn't confirm it yet. He exhaled again after a few more minutes, this time as more of a sigh. His arms crossed after a bit longer, and he let out a shiver that made his teeth chatter.

"…I hope they get here soon or the sun comes up… I'm starting to freeze over here."

In response to that, Marlene turned her head to him in puzzlement.

"Freeze?" She asked incredulously. "How can you be freezing? It's getting warm…almost hot."

Denzel turned to her in equal confusion. "Hot? How can you be hot? It's…"

The boy cut himself off in mid-speech. The others seemed to realize he had done so, and looked to see what he was staring at. They soon saw it, as did Marlene. Only she wasn't staring at the same thing. Her gaze was further on, looking beyond toward Denzel's opposite side just as he was focused on hers. A change was happening in both areas.

What Denzel saw was the ground. At a point somewhat far away from them…it was starting to glow. The color was a fire red. It was mild enough at first, but then it started to fracture, spilling out threads of more intense light. Smoke began to come out of those fissures next. Then it began to bulge…

What Marlene saw, on the other hand, was something else. A mist was gathering around far behind Denzel. It first seemed like only a fair fog…but it was getting thicker quickly. And as it got thicker, it began to show that it had a glow…and that it was turning a pale blue color. That glow only continued to intensify…

Azure himself looked in front of him again. As he did, Denzel looked back, and saw that he was now looking to the sky. His hairs were beginning to stand up as well, and Denzel himself began to sense the charge on the air. All of them slowly looked up…and as they did they began to see a far distant beacon of electric light start to grow larger. All of them went still. Only one further thing was murmured from Denzel.

"…I think they're here."

The second that Denzel had said that…a huge sharp sound rang through the air. It made all five wince, even Shelke, and turn to the source. It sounded like crystals rapidly colliding…or air quickly turning into ice within a fraction of a second. It sent out a sound like a thousand chimes being struck together at once through the air. And it came from their right.

They soon saw what had happened. The mist had abruptly condensed the rest of the way, forming a ripple of ice along the ground. Even the closest part of the ocean had frozen solid. The moisture from the breeze condensed into fine flakes of snow that began to slowly fall over that small area. But most important was the figure that now stood, perched delicately on a large shard of ice.

Denzel had heard stories about the Frost Nymphs that lived on the Great Glacier area, and most of his thoughts of them had brought this sort of figure to mind. She did, for the most part, look like an abnormally tall, almost completely naked woman with skin as light blue as arctic snow at nightfall. What did cover up her private areas appeared to almost be nothing more than darker blue protrusions from her skin, which barely managed to cover up the appropriate spots. They seemed to rise off from her flesh in certain points, giving the impression of some sort of clothing with ridges that came over her like tall boots and gloves. Her ears were long and back like a nymph's as well. However, her icy stare, the looks of which could chill the fever out of a sick person, did not seem to be harsh or malicious. They instead seemed very old and controlled. And her face was not voluptuous, but straight and calm. Her long hair formed four long strands spilling behind her, and was made of portions both dark blue and golden. She closed her eyes for a moment to move these back and behind her, before opening her eyes again and focusing entirely on the group.

However, their staring at this woman wrapped in an icy aura was suddenly broken, as a surge of heat swept over them and the sounds of the earth cracking began to bellow. They turned to the other side, and were just in time to see the ground bulge one last time before erupting in a volcanic explosion. Burning chunks of earth were cast in all directions, including directly at them. In shock, Denzel moved to step forward and shield Marlene…but it wasn't necessary. The heat was so intense that it turned the ground into vaporized ash long before it hit them. Instead, his focus locked onto the next creature that had appeared.

It came out of the ground tightened into a ball with its arms tucked in on itself and its arms wrapped around its legs. Yet it didn't stay that way long. It soon spread out its limbs and sank back onto the surface. The earth he had leapt from had already melted into magma, and yet he landed on it and lit there quite easily.

The thing was rather large and powerful. Its limbs were humanoid, but another look at it might make one mistake it for some sort of demon. The skin was tough and brown, a sort of deep auburn that almost bordered on red, like it was about to set on fire at any moment. Each muscle was toned and tight, and they did so as his claws dug into the ground and forced him up. Each claw, on each digit on each hand and foot, was long and razor sharp. It let out a deep growl twice as loud as a ravenous lion mixed with a dragon. Its face was not humanoid like most of the rest, although it seemed more like a werewolf or demi-beast than pure humanoid, but was instead that of a fierce great cat or canine, with teeth longer, sharper, and deadlier than any one that they knew existed. It was crowned with a mane as red as the hottest fire, and two long pitch-colored horns that stretched and arched and twisted all the way over onto its back before terminating into long points. Heat poured from his mouth so intense that it looked like it would ignite the air into flame as he breathed and snarled. His eyes gleamed with a yellow light, but even this seemed like the kind from tempered iron. Hot.

The group stayed focused on form so long that if it hadn't been for the feeling of a sudden electrical shock on the air they probably wouldn't have snapped out of it. Denzel himself did as he winced and let out a breathless yelp, before turning and looking to a new light source. This one was next to the ice one. He immediately made the form out of a radiant yellow bird with electricity snaking around it. Seeing how large it was, how it was enveloped in an aura, and how streamlined its feathers were…Denzel immediately guessed this had to be the one from earlier.

It wasn't until Marlene tugged on him and pointed that a fourth esper was noted. Even when she did reach over and pointed on his shoulder, he looked to her a bit dumbly, not knowing what she wanted. When she pointed out ahead of her, he still had a hard time seeing it. But after watching a bit longer, he managed to see a tiny form suddenly hop out from behind one of the larger rocks against the shore plod forward to take a place next to the much larger, more deadlier looking one. Out of the three Denzel had seen so far…this one did the most for relaxing and confusing him.

This one wasn't large or impressive like the others. It was hardly larger than a cat, and it moved like some sort of odd rabbit. It looked a little pathetic to him…but it was obvious why Marlene had spotted it. She was still somewhat into "cute" things. It had perfectly smooth fur, long hindlimbs, and short little forelimbs that seemed to terminate into little stuffed animal paws rather than claws. It also had a rather long and bushy tail, which leaned over somewhat on itself to form a swish of fur. It had a long mane going along its scalp and neck with tufts of hair sticking out that almost seemed to give it a funny little mohawk. Its ears were easily longer than the width of its head, and splayed out on either side rather than upright like a rabbit. It had two small little eyes that were like a rodent's, and yet they weren't black. They seemed to almost protrude a bit, and they were an extremely dark blue…almost like a gem of some sort. Resting on its forehead just above it was what appeared to be a real ruby mounted against its forehead, and when the light struck it it seemed to make a blend of prismatic colors. Despite the fact that the whole creature was a vivid green neon color and looked like a stuffed item perfect for a toy store, it did seem to have an unusual quality as it took its place.

For a moment, the four stood there, looking at the group that had gathered. The bird flapped slowly and turned her neck around to her brethren. The ice woman stayed cool and calm, crossing over one arm to grasp her other and simply staring. The fire beast cracked its knuckles and shook its mane, seeming to scatter sparks and ash as it did so. The green creature simply propped up on its legs and looked around. The five looked back, most of them rather nervous or uneasy. Shelke seemed to focus all of her attention on the ice woman. Denzel wondered if that was it. However…there was still a large space in the middle of them that stood unfilled…

As Denzel looked to it, wondering if another would show…he noticed the change. The ocean had abruptly gone from a calm lap to a rush. A wave came in and caused a great deal of foam. The next that came in actually sprayed some water up against the others. The third that came in was rather rough and actually made the five take a unified step backward as it appeared with a roar. Those who hadn't already noticed that the sea was suddenly a lot rougher than before did soon after, for they saw the four espers that had gathered look to it. It shook a bit longer, seeming now to rush in on itself and make itself more and more violent. Then…it broke.

Abruptly, a spearhead shot up from the ocean and cast itself into the sky. A huge length strung out behind it, dotted with periodic fins but mostly just being huge and long. The spearhead continued to shoot into the air up to fifty feet, before abruptly pitching down and to the side. It dragged more of its length behind it, but it also continued to come out of the ocean. The spearhead shot down to the ocean, but at the last moment shot back up and veered to the sky at an angle again. Once it had gone far enough, it arched back again. The net result was that it filled the air with a massive combination of coils, painting out a rather complicated, impressive, and _long_ body just over the ocean. The length continued to come out from the initial source longer and longer as it kept coming.

Finally…the spearhead arched toward the group, and darted straight for them. Again, the five stepped back as it came nearer, looking like it might attack. However, that didn't happen. Just as it was about to impact…it arched upward once again, bent over slightly, and then came to a stop. Only then did Denzel see what it truly was. A sort of strange cry came out from the head, high pitched and almost cetacean like, as the spearhead appeared to open, revealing that it possessed a mouth outlined by a pointed, sharp beak. No teeth were immediately evident, but the head was sharp and streamlined, with crests raising up on either side to form a set of horn-like fins. Larger fins spread out from the side of it, stretched out wide and broad. The creature was covered with thin scales almost too small to see. Most of it was an oceanic blue, although similar aqua greens and spots of redness, especially around what appeared to be gill pouches, appeared on it as well. The eyes were extremely pale, perhaps even white, and set into the thing's head. They were closed at first as it seemed to crack its own immensely long neck.

While it did so, the end of its coils appeared from out of the ocean with a great finned tail, although it had ceased moving. And as it relaxed, the tail continued to move along the path that the head had traced as it closed in toward it. The thing was contracting its large body. It continued to do so for a few moments as the thing finished cracking its neck and looked down in front of it again, its pale eyes zeroing in on the group. As that happened, the coils ceased to contract. It was still a very long creature, with its tail in the ocean water and easily able to perch up on a length of its body to look down on them. But it ceased to grow or elongate after that.

The creature's large pointed head lowered down closer to them, so that they could smell the sea coming off of it. Bits of ocean water seemed to strike them as it breathed the air slowly. Denzel and the others were immobilized. This creature was easily large enough to eat half of any one of them with one snap. For all he knew, it could make itself bigger again and eat even more. He could only stare as the pale eyes looked over them all…seeming to pierce through them as it searched them over. Denzel could almost swear it was doing just that…for he almost felt like he could feel it looking into his mind as he stared.

At last, the thing's mouth cracked open again. The voice that came out was far more powerful than that of the bird esper, although Denzel didn't know that. It was also far older, and seemed infinitely wiser and more controlled. The voice was both fatherly and commanding as it spoke out.

"…Azure Strife." He announced. "Shelke Rui. Denzel Strife. Marlene Wallace. Rex Rozan. I am Leviathan."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	19. A Plot Disclosed

"Leviathan?" Marlene finally ventured after what seemed like a minute of silence with the very large sea serpent looking down on them. "Isn't…um…Leviathan the head god over Da-Chao?"

"I am no god, although I have been worshipped as such for thousands of years." The large creature answered. "I am an esper, once the lord of the espers by commission from our true king, Lord Bahamut."

"Um…hello." Rex offered with a slight wave of his hand, which was more like poking it up and down.

"I would have seen you sooner, but I needed time to recall why I had suddenly come back to life, what had to be done, to inform my companions about why they too were alive, to learn something of this world which is still almost completely alien to me, and lastly to regenerate into the form you see now." Leviathan continued. "Suffice to say, as much as you five think you have run around over the past day, I assure you that I have been far busier. Even so, time has been lost that cannot be regained, and we cannot afford to waste any. Still, you deserve some introduction."

With that, Leviathan turned his head on his long neck over to his own left, motioning to the bird. "Quetzacoatl, who has been faithful in carrying out all that we needed, you might already know."

"Hello everyone, both old and new." Quetzacoatl answered with a slight wave of a wing.

Leviathan turned his head to the opposite side a moment later, toward the small green creature. "Carbuncle, an esper who specializes in the ability to warp light and energy fields."

"And I'm twice the esper that most of them are, so I don't want to hear any jokes about my size!" The creature piped, in a tone so small it was almost like a cartoon chipmunk. Denzel couldn't help himself. He gave out a small chuckle from pressed lips. The creature's eyes seemed to narrow afterward, although it didn't seem that he had heard the youth. "You humans should be thankful that I'm gonna help you, period!"

The sea serpent seemed to frown a bit himself at the small esper's behavior, but ignored it as he turned his head back around toward the other side, and the ice woman. "This is Shiva. No other esper in history could manipulate ice and cold as she can."

"I have a few other abilities besides simply creating ice and snow." The woman coolly answered, her voice powerful, firm, and almost as cold as Shelke's. However, her eyes did seem to dart toward one of the group members in particular…

"Last but not least…Ifrit." Leviathan concluded as he turned his head back one last time. "Don't let his appearance disturb you. He is quite faithful and valiant."

"Just don't do anything to piss me off, humans." The beast grunted back in a rather monstrous voice. "And make damn sure to keep any clowns away from me or I'll melt the makeup off their faces."

"I'm not that big on clowns myself…" Denzel murmured aloud, causing Marlene to elbow him.

"So…you're here to help us, right?" Azure asked.

Leviathan turned back and gave a single nod. "Yes. But don't think that simply because we're here that we can solve this problem immediately. We're going to need a lot of luck and help if we're going to do this. The fact of the matter is that we are still incredibly unfamiliar with this world. The most recent memory I have is of the War of the Magi. Carbuncle, Shiva, and Ifrit are still a few hundred years out of date compared to the time. We've been trying to learn all we can, but we fear we may be rather obsolete in the world of today, one that has been without magic or magical creatures for a very long time."

"Unfortunately, we don't have much time for that either." Shiva spoke up. "We're having to play this by ear. Apparently, all of our spirits were willing to return to life in order to stop what's going on in area you call Midgar, but we were barely able to carry over our memories into this life. It was only due to Lord Leviathan awakening the memories in our hearts that we were even slightly aware of what we had to do once we arrived."

"I'll say…" Carbuncle moaned from his position. "All I knew when I got here is that I was missing a limb and I wanted to be around gems."

"And what is going on?" Denzel spoke up. "I thought it was just this Diablos guy going around wanting to take over the world like Sephiroth or something…"

On hearing the name "Diablos"…all of the espers stiffened. They all seemed rather uncomfortable as they turned and stared at Denzel alone. The youth suddenly felt that he had said something wrong, and backed down a bit as he was swallowing.

"You're either gutsy or a fool to be throwing around that name like that." Ifrit snorted. "Probably a fool. Wasn't it that human's fault right there that he got out in the first place?" He asked as he pointed a talon at Shelke. The girl didn't respond, although the others tensed up. "Why don't we fry her?"

"That won't help now, Ifrit." Leviathan responded, almost in a disciplining voice. "They didn't know."

"That's just it. Humans _never_ seem to know…" He grumbled, but simply crossed his arms and backed up somewhat.

"It's a bit more serious than that I'm afraid, Denzel." Leviathan answered in a much calmer voice as he turned back to him. "You don't know who…or what…that monster is. I can tell you enough to know that it is almost the equivalent of…say…the 'Boogieman' becoming real. Only much worse. To start this off, we'll have to go back quite a bit. Back to early in the Age of Humans, only a few hundred years after we became more benign and tame in the eyes of man…"

The esper leaned back a bit and seemed to rest on his coils. Quetzacoatl answered by landing and folding her wings. Shiva herself formed a seat of ice and sat on it. Carbuncle rested on his haunches. Finally, Ifrit snorted and seemed to lay down like a giant dog. Seeing as they were taking a bit of a rest, the other five looked around a bit before they too began to sit down. They were all on the ground before Shelke. Once she was left alone standing, she finally did the same. The sea serpent drew in a deep breath before starting, much as a human would do. It was amazing, but Denzel found himself already acclimating to it. The creature felt so familiar to him…and seemed almost like another human than some bloodthirsty monster.

"Thousands of years before you were born…at a time in history that has been lost to all but the oldest esper and Cetra scholars…there emerged the first of the dark human Archmages. Until that time, all wizards of that caliber were of non-human or esper origin. But with the time of humans gaining power to defend themselves with little to no esper intervention came the emergence of humans having the power to harm the world and its species with little to no esper intervention. Such was the case with the one who we record only as the Emperor of Palemecia.

"Even in those days, gaining powers such as that which he welded was uncommon, and he was the first of his kind to gain them. He did so by many deplorable and profane rites, making one covenant with the powers of darkness after another. He gained more and more powers as a result, and gained the ability to release progressively worse evil and demonic forces. Yet he craved ever more. And as his cravings increased, so did his madness. What started off as a lust for power and domination became far worse, until he no longer cared if the entire world was destroyed in his wrath, so long as he lived to rule over the ruinous remains. His hate and anger were matched only by his pride. The more he conquered, the more and more he thought of himself as a god. The more he thought that he truly dominated all forces of evil in the world, and wasn't merely just another mortal pawn in their service.

"He employed one terrible weapon after another that caused proportionally more deaths as a result. He was content with his personal magic at first, but it grew to be insufficient. He used his powers to equip his entire army with pure mythril weapons and armor, and yet that wasn't enough either. He constructed an airship so large and deadly that even your modern ones would be hard pressed to combat it, and still he wasn't satisfied. Thankfully, the last of these weapons was destroyed by those who opposed him before it could level the entire world. Yet even then, powerful as he was, he refused to cease. Instead, he generated a towering magical Cyclone. He didn't care that there would be no one left to rule after it was done. His pride had left him only truly loving himself and his own power.

"That generation's light warriors came to stop him, eventually. And they had been blessed not only by the forces of good among their own races, but the superior forces of light opposed to those of the darkness that the Emperor had called unto himself. These warriors had all been nearly destroyed by the Emperor's men, and they, ones he thought so little of, were the ones raised up to bring him to nothing. Because of that, they struck down all guardians before him easily. And though he saw that, even though their power was undeniable, he refused to accept that anything could contend with him. He cockily stood up to them himself and exerted only the smallest bit of his power, thinking that more than enough to strike them all down. As a result, they easily destroyed him.

"It should have been the end of that wicked little man…but it wasn't. His pride was the greatest on Gaia and that had been on Gaia in countless generations. He refused to believe that he had been beaten. He refused to believe that he could be made so weak before fellow mortals, for by now he truly deluded himself into thinking he was an immortal, invincible god. His pride was so much…his arrogance so inconceivable…that the legends say that he went to the ruler of Hell itself. In his overwhelming pride, he challenged it. He believed in his own power so much that he claimed if he could but rule Hell himself for a mere three days, that he could bring all creation under its dominion. The ruler, so it is said, was so amused at the boast that it plotted to find a way to bring the Emperor into further torment. It agreed to his proposition. However, if he failed, then he would face the greatest of torments its domain had to offer. In his arrogance and pride, the Emperor agreed without a second's hesitation.

"As it was, it briefly became possible for a mortal to enter into Pandemonium, the central city of Hell. This was because the Emperor did not try to sneak or plan or manipulate the hearts of men as Hell's ruler did. In his pride, he believed he could simply unleash the infernal hoards on Gaia and bring it to its knees.

"What the Emperor overlooked in his vanity was that there were others above the ruler of Hell. The Ruler of Heaven and His host. He had not only thought himself as a god, but as the only god. In doing so, he aroused the intervention of the powers that be. The infernal true ruler of Hell knew full well that any direct move would be doomed to fail, and as such had tried to move through more secretive and deceptive means. That was why it knew that the Emperor would also be doomed to fail.

"Sure enough…the same ones who had destroyed him before were chosen to go into Pandemonium itself and strike back. Although various demons rose against them, their efforts were blessed and they struck down every one, until they came face to face again with the undead Emperor. Again they fought. Although this time the fool had enough sense to try harder…in the end it was for nothing. The Emperor could not triumph. His downfall had already been decreed. It had only to be enacted. For though his powers had increased, his arrogance had not diminished. Even using more of his force, he still left himself open, exposed, and vulnerable time and time again. He foolishly believed that since he was dead and come back that he was immortal, not knowing that powers of light and good could strike him no matter where he lurked, even in the frozen black heart of Pandemonium. His power was broken bit by bit, and eventually he was destroyed again. Once more, the realm of the damned became separate from the world of the living.

"The Emperor had paid the price for his folly…destroyed by the very people he professed to be superior to, by the same mortals who had destroyed him while in the flesh. No archangels or angels…only them. The ruler of Hell stepped forward, ready to collect on him for losing the debt. Even now, however, the Emperor refused to admit defeat. He said that he had been tricked, although it was through his own pride and vanity that he had brought Pandemonium to the surface of mortals, sealing his own fate by allowing access to himself. The legends say he didn't request another chance…he _demanded_ it. He believed he could order around the ruler of Hell itself, not realizing that his own soul had been turned over to it already. Now the ruler was no longer amused…and not content to simply torment him forever.

"As the story goes…the Emperor was banished out of both Heaven _and_ Hell. He was reduced to almost absolute nothingness…becoming so feeble and powerless that he hadn't even the power to be a breath to shift the wing of a fly. Invisible…unseeing…unknowing…totally stripped of all might and left to be completely at the whim of even the lightest forces of nature, to be powerless to even make his presence known to other spirits or lost souls. And from there, he would dwell forever in total oblivion, banished from all realms, with only the ability to know that he himself existed. He would be forever separated from the sight of all other things, to dwell forever as nothingness in an endless, black oblivion."

The sea serpent paused there. As a result, the five listening looked a bit uneasy at the thought of that. Denzel was among them. That _did_ sound rather bad…but what did that have to do with what was going on right now? Yet before he could ask this question, Leviathan continued.

"That was the end of the Emperor and his wickedness. However, it wasn't the end of his legacy. There was a man who we know only as Leon…one who was originally just another victim in the Emperor's war, and ironically a friend of the light warriors of that age. However, the Emperor could recognize the darkness within him, and so he ordered him spared and cared for when he and the rest of his friends had been struck down. Sure enough…he had guessed right. The attack that left him nearly dead warped Leon, turning his heart to stone. He no longer cared for simple things in life or for any good emotion…love…friendship…mercy… He abandoned them all and embraced the ideal of the Emperor…that there were only two who existed in the world. Those who were crushed under a boot, and the one who crushed them. He became obsessed with gaining power, and so he trained himself hard in order to gain that power. He did the Emperor's bidding, suspecting the whole time that his new master would be killed and that he could take over his position.

"And indeed…that time did come. He intended to rule Palemecia and dominate the world after the death of his former liege. His rule was interrupted by the Emperor's return from Hell, however, and it was only due to a twist of fate that he managed to escape along with his former friends. He did atone somewhat then. He joined up with them, and was one of the four who struck the Emperor down once again. However, after that was done, neither the evil in his own heart nor the bitterness inside that of his friends' would allow him to fully return. He abandoned them to make his way in the world alone.

"However…there was nothing for him there. Nothing but anger, frustration, and passion. In his heart, he still lusted for the power the Emperor had. He still believed the only way was strength in the world. He believed the strength that would have made him secure was nearly his. But with the end of the Emperor came the destruction of Palemecia. There was nothing left for him to rule. And even if there was, then what? He realized by now he would meet the same fate as the one he betrayed his friends to serve. There he was. Powerful…yet helpless… Master…yet companionless… Filled with despair that he could never be truly happy with any fate left for himself, too stubborn to forgive himself, he lapsed into depression and anguish the likes of which no man had suffered before.

"And to drive away the depression…he turned to anger. Anger at everything. Anger at his friends for abandoning him. Anger at the Emperor for leaving him with nothing. Anger at the world for shunning him and hating him. Anger against Heaven above and Hell below. Anger at everything that had lived and breathed, both now, in the past, and in the future. Anger, last of all, against himself. He turned into a ball of hate welled up inside the dregs of his soul. He destroyed anything that came in his path, simply because he now hated and cursed all things. Whether they were natural or manmade…nonliving or living…monster or human… The world was twisted into a dark and cruel place to him, and he only could see it as that as his anger grew and grew. He neglected himself…his health…his appearance…because he hated himself as much as everything else. He grew wild and vicious. He lost his sanity and humanity. All he had left was hate. All he could remember was hate. And the hate flowed all the more into him and deepened the anguish in what was left of his heart. Death might have been kind to that body when it finally claimed him…"

Leviathan paused here, and narrowed his gaze.

"…But it was not kind to the rest of the world.

"Remember, Leon was not an ordinary man. Given enough time, he might have become an Archmage the same as the Emperor. And after passing, his soul refused to find rest. It stayed behind and continued to dwell in the mortal world. And as a result, it suffered the fate of all spirits that fail to return to the Lifestream or pass on. It became a wraith.

"For most wraiths, there is only one thing left to them. One thing they can remember. Usually, it is whatever kept them from going in peace. Yet in this case…it was far worse. Leon was a man completely consumed by rage, until he couldn't remember anything else in life…not his old friends…not his sister…not his relation to the Emperor…not even his own name. Only hate. And that hate and anguish was all the more vicious and prevalent when it became the only thing allowing the wraith to exist. An embodiment of pure hate and fury. As he did in life, the wraith desired to continue to consume everything in its hatred and misery forever. And it had so much power that it was able to actually punch through into the mortal coil and do such a thing.

"It sought out the only thing it still understood…hate and misery. Pure formed versions of these things…ones that came from those who felt betrayed and abandoned by everything. And these were no more prevalent than among those unfortunate souls who were dispatched in countless wars, ones both pointless and senseless, who had died for nothing. It found these souls…sometimes after death…sometimes even able to get to them while they were still alive…and consumed them. Somehow it was able to devour them and bring it into itself. It was the only thing that eased its own pain…yet at the same time made its despair and hate even stronger. And as it consumed more, the more powerful it grew. Yet as it got stronger and fed off more, so too did the souls it had devoured feed off of its own hate all the more, so that the entire thing was a self-sustaining monstrosity. The humans gave it a name that seemed appropriate to them, 'Wrexsoul'. But the espers gave it a more abominable name in their own language."

"…Diablos." Denzel spoke up, his voice rather quiet by now.

The sea serpent gave a single nod.

"The espers did not live to see it properly dealt with. By the time it gained enough power to merit response, we were in decline. I myself died prior to its destruction, as did almost all members of our race. It wouldn't be until after the Cataclysm that a band of humans managed to utilize a special spell to banish it into oblivion that its power was broken. Only then did it return to the Lifestream. It lost most of its power then, but it retained its ability as a violent amalgamation. It came out from time to time…usually to latch onto someone's despair and force them to act out in violence and rage. Yet even then our spirits feared it. More souls, those ones who were especially in anguish and rage who had refused to pass on, went to it. Almost all of the most wicked and prideful beings who had found their way into the Lifestream over the years went to it." Leviathan paused. "…Perhaps they were hoping that what happened a few days ago would happen…but for whatever the reason they made it more wicked and evil than ever. Only now, however, have things become critical."

Marlene spoke up here, her own look rather uncomfortable now, as many of their own looks had now become. They were starting to understand what Leviathan was saying, and it didn't sound good. "So you mean…this thing that's controlling DeepGround…it's that…big ball of evil souls?"

"Diablos should have never existed." Leviathan continued gravely, his own demeanor growing more grim and serious. "It was nothing more than a collection of wicked remains of wicked and infuriated spirits. Yet somehow, one of those Guardian Force containers managed to pull that amalgamation out and give it a personality…a singular entity that combines the powers of all others, making perhaps the most wicked and hateful creature this world has ever seen."

The five were rather still now. A feeling of coolness was rippling through them that wasn't from the weather. They looked around and exchanged glances once again.

"Unfortunately…that's the least of our worries."

Immediately, they all snapped back.

"How could it get worse?" Denzel asked, almost incredulous.

"For one thing, Diablos continues to gain power from the dead." Shiva answered. "Even now, his power increases with each anguished soul he destroys."

"In other words…" Carbuncle piped up. "This guy's going to cause as much misery as he can, and then kill those people so that he can add them to his power."

"It's not helping that he is rather wise." Leviathan grimly continued. "The knowledge and memories of all those who are within him have united with him. That was how he knew how to unleash the other Guardian Forces in ways that would benefit him by granting him access to espers angry at humanity."

"The three headed dog's named Cerberus." Ifrit grunted. "Got a real mean streak. We could have been friends if he wasn't such a hothead… Fastest son of a bitch alive, though."

"The one who has power over wind is named Pandemona." Shiva added. "He was troublesome and rebellious back when we ruled. He was incarcerated and killed when the humans attacked to collect us during the War of the Magi."

"The one who you guys probably really know about is Siren." Quetzacoatl threw in. "In the old days, we managed to isolate her. But now she's reveling in your communication technology. Anyone who hears her will serve her until the point of death."

"The big ones are the Brothers. At least, that's what we always called 'em." Carbuncle continued. "They've got power over earth. Based on what we saw, though…there must have been a mix-up. Somehow, the big one's spirit got in the little one, and the little one's spirit got in the big one. Anyway, Sacred is as dumb as a box of hammers, but Minotaur's pretty brainy and strong."

"There's others as well." Leviathan added. "The Phantom Train, another powerful spirit that we recruited to ferry other lost souls to the other side, is back and likely dislikes both mankind and espers. Then there's two more that I'm not sure of…but from what I was able to sense while still in the Lifestream, and what I can still remember now after coming back to life…is that I believe they were Gigantuar and the Tonberry King."

"Who are those?" Azure asked with some puzzlement.

"The respective, far more powerful, ancestors of the races Cactuar and Tonberry."

Denzel and Azure rolled their eyes. "…Oh great."

The sea serpent continued to look grim. "However, that's still not the worst of it."

Everyone looked shocked at that point, including Shelke to a small degree. "Now what?" Rex called out in an almost exasperated voice.

Leviathan turned his heads to the others. All of them took on a rather grim demeanor themselves. They looked back to the five and eased back a bit. Leviathan swallowed slightly before he answered.

"…It has come to my attention that the Cetra known as Ragnar and Aerith Vice have been abducted."

The older children immediately snapped back at that, their eyes widening.

"Abducted?" Marlene asked in earnest. "You mean Mrs. Aerith's not dead? She didn't get eaten?"

"Pandemona is able to inhale victims into his air sac and trap them indefinitely by controlling the amount of air and pressure they receive." Shiva explained. "When you saw her being 'swallowed', you likely only saw her being inhaled into Pandemona's air sac. She could be removed later in another location."

"So they're not dead?" Denzel asked. "That's great!"

The youth continued to look happy for a few more seconds…until he saw that the espers were still rather grim. On seeing that, his enthusiasm, as well as that of the others, rapidly began to fade.

"They are not dead…but for only one purpose." Leviathan went on. "Diablos, or at least one of the spirits within him, realized something. They knew that Diablos could gain power from the dead, and that the Cetra hold within them the power to manipulate the world itself. So long as there is more than one Cetra, that power is distributed among them. And if one of them dies, that power returns to the Planet along with their spirit.

"Diablos has figured out a way to gain this power for himself. If he can place all Cetra in a state of living-death, then he will gain their powers, but they will be unable to return to the Lifestream. Their powers belong to him. And the more Cetra he collects, the more power he will gain. If he gathers all Cetra, then he will have full power over the world's Lifestream."

A wave of fear shot through all three teens.

"Then we've got to stop him! Now!" Denzel yelled. "Can't you five go out and beat him up or something?"

Ifrit gave another grunt. "Ain't you familiar with math, human? Eight against five."

"And at this point, I seriously doubt we can triumph in a battle of outright strength against Diablos. Only if all of us could combine our efforts would we stand a chance." Leviathan responded. "But you are correct. Diablos must be more than defeated. He must be stopped permanantly."

"How are you going to do that if you don't fight him?" Denzel shouted back, still impatient, and now getting frustrated at how they answered him.

"We have two alternatives." Leviathan responded. "None of us are sufficient to destroy Diablos…but there is one esper who might be capable of doing so. One whose element Diablos is naturally opposed to. But in order to bring him forth, we must have the Guardian Force essence of Holy."

Rex let out a moan in response. "Sorry, Mr. Leviathan. But that purple one… Pander…Mona? Anyway, the one that makes wind grabbed the case with the remaining essences. By now, that wad of souls probably smashed it."

"At this point, I think not." Leviathan answered rather calmly. "He has to have realized that he brought the Phantom Train to life by pouring an essence on nonliving train parts. He would reason that he might accidentally raise an opposing force by pouring an essence on something else nonliving. Now, he'll simply keep the essences on him. Which means we will have to get that essence back from him."

Rex seemed to grow a bit more downhearted on hearing that. "…Swell."

"However, that is only one option." Leviathan continued. "It is possible that Diablos might already be too strong for the esper we are trying to summon, as inconceivable as it may seem to us. If such is the case, then we need to construct a container: a Magical Lamp."

Marlene looked puzzled. "Magic Lamp? You mean like something that you rub and out comes a genie who grants wishes?"

Carbuncle let out a sigh. "Man, kids these days hear the craziest stories…"

Leviathan ignored and explained. "That myth was inspired by an actual device that we refer to as a Magical Lamp. It was a special restraining device that I invented myself. The Lamp only comes from the fact that the esper within produces an ethereal light and it resembles a lamp that humans used to use. However, its true purpose is that it will focus an esper's own power back in on itself, no matter how strong, and in doing so force it to become immobilized and helpless. Once that is done, the esper can be stored in the Magical Lamp, no matter how violent or dangerous."

"At the risk of sounding like a coward…" Azure spoke up. "Why don't we just try for that option? It seems safer…"

Leviathan let out a long sigh in response. "…Because the instruments that I needed to properly make one haven't existed for over a thousand years, and as a result the only plans I have to rely on are those of my own memory. There's no way to be certain that the Magical Lamp will work. Even then, I need an alloy of Adamantite combined with Lunarite to be able to construct it. Both of these substances were extremely rare in my day and I thought that they were all accounted for. But in this day and age I have no idea what's become of them."

"…I probably do."

Everyone, Shelke and the espers included, all turned to the one who responded. To almost everyone's surprise, they found themselves looking at Rex, far behind everyone else, holding up a single hand.

"I mean…" He began to answer, a bit more nervous now that everyone was staring at him. "I am a geologist. I know a lot about alloys and inorganic compounds. I can probably find any traces if you can point out what it looks like in raw ore form."

Leviathan leaned up a bit on hearing this. He turned to the others around him for a moment, seeming to check in with them and what they thought. They looked back and Ifrit shrugged. At last, the great esper turned back and gave a nod. "Alright. Do you have any tomes with pictoral information on them?"

Rex looked a bit confused at that sort of statement. However, his brain processed it a moment later. "Geology books… Yes! I mean…no. Not here with me at this spot, but I can get some. Wutai's right behind us. I'm sure they have a bookstore on minerals and geology and stuff. And I can log into the universities' website and find out where some is."

Leviathan gave a nod. "Very well then. I shall remain off the coast of this beach and collaborate with you while I begin construction." He turned his head to either side after this. "As for the rest of you…accompany the humans. Your first move should be to get to whatever airship has the offspring of Ragnar and Aerith on board."

"Huh?" Denzel answered, getting the sea serpent's attention again. "Why?"

"Diablos has great knowledge, and the more people Siren commands the more his reach will be able to extend." Leviathan answered. "Now that he has Ragnar and Aerith, his attention will be focused on obtaining the last two Cetra: their offspring. He'll attack them as soon as he finds out where they are."

Denzel, Azure, and Marlene both felt their stomachs sink. The realization hit them like a ton of bricks. That was right…they too were Cetra. Shelke turned to them all a moment later, her face still calm, but her voice just the slightest bit more in earnest.

"…That was why they attacked last night, yet didn't fire. They were not after me or after you. They were after the twins. And because they needed them to be alive, they didn't risk shooting or they could have hit them."

Denzel felt a cold feeling rush through him. He almost felt his legs turn to water as his body began to shake. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Nevermind the fact that there was no way he could have known, and very little way he could have guessed. All of that was swallowed up as a feeling of terror and a sense of urgency came over him.

"…Then we need to get to them right now. Let's go." He immediately turned to leave.

"Yes." Leviathan answered with a nod. Denzel immediately took off after hearing that, running back for the ship. The others were about to turn and leave as well, but they hesitated when they saw that Leviathan was not yet finished. "Yet after you are done, you need to somehow get into DeepGround and get the Holy essence from them. Even if Diablos can be sealed away, I can sense he's already worked immense levels of dark magic. To undo whatever spells he has done, only a Holy esper of immense power will work. Either way, we must have the essence. The rest of you…" Leviathan turned to the espers around him. "Accompany them and help them in any way you can. Whatever happens, don't let Diablos get to the children."

"Yes, my lord." Shiva answered with a nod.

"I'll do my best." Quetzacoatl said with some nervousness.

"Nothing to worry about now that I'm here!" Carbuncle boasted.

"Good…I've been wanting to beat someone up…" Ifrit grinned.

The others gathered hesitated a bit longer, but then turned and began to go. Azure and Marlene soon began to run after Denzel, who had already gone quite far. Shelke turned to follow after them. Rex was left behind as the rest of the espers began to fall in, moving after the others in whatever mode of locomotion they were capable of. The only one that remained was the rather large sea serpent, and he was soon face to face with it. He was already starting to sweat a little by the time the last esper passed him and left him totally alone with Leviathan.

* * *

Shelke was expecting it when it came. In fact, she was counting on it. She was on her way back when everyone else, focusing on the airship now and the task at hand. The others were already getting ahead and the espers were behind. Then, it happened.

"Wait, Shelke."

The young woman immediately stopped and turned completely around. Three of the espers ignored her and continued to go on forward. Yet the one she expected to lag behind did so. Soon, the taller form of Shiva was advancing on her. As the others passed, she began to feel cold again from the feeling of the esper's aura coming over her, until the humanoid had come up to her and halted. She looked down on the young woman with her icy blue eyes and stared for a moment.

Then she held up her hand and gestured in front of her in some sort of strange symbol. She brought it in front of her body at the end and closed her eyes. In response, Shelke saw clearly what she had missed the night before. A green aura, seemingly made of tiny gleaming sparks, formed over her, and slowly began to fall down over her body. As it passed through her and over her, she felt her body once more be rejuvenated. Her reserves had once again been dropping low, but now they were filled once again. Once more, it didn't feel as if it was as total or complete as a mako recharge would accomplish, but it was sufficient. Shelke focused on the esper's face as she felt her reserves replenished.

"…So it was you." She stated.

Shiva opened her eyes a moment later. She was still calm in her mannerisms as she returned her limb to her side. "Yes. And it wasn't easy." She responded. "I was still charging to full power last night, and I had little idea who I was or where I was going." She paused for a moment afterward…and when she spoke again her voice grew a bit sharper. "Your _sister_ was the one who directed me to you."

_So it was her after all._ Shelke thought to herself. Despite her earlier bitterness, however, she couldn't find herself being as angry as she had been before. At least in this circumstance, it appeared to have worked out. Dumb luck, she supposed. "So she did revive you." She spoke out to the esper as the green aura began to fade. "Where is she now? Captured? Holing up in Kalm?"

The esper didn't answer right away. She stared back with that same icy stare…so potent that Shelke almost felt herself grow uncomfortable underneath it.

"…You truly don't realize the truth, do you?" She simply answered. "The only reason I knew I had to find you in the first place was because that was the last thought that your sister kept in mind as she drank the Ice essence."

In spite of herself, her personal anger, and all that had happened to her…Shelke's eyes widened on hearing that. Her jaw slackened.

"Your sister's final wish before she gave her body to me was for me to save your life." Shiva concluded. Then, without another word or sign of emotion, she extended one of her icy hands. She opened it, and a single piece of paper, crumpled into a ball, slowly fell out and landed at the girl's feet. After that, the esper looked up and past her and continued to calmly move on toward the airship. She left Shelke standing behind her, rigid as a statue.

The young woman's gaze slowly lowered to the ground. Her mouth did not recover as it usually did when she encountered something to actually surprise her. She did not move. She didn't shift her weight or raise her arms. She only looked to the ground and stared at it, at the piece of paper that had come to a rest. Although the others were soon leaving her far behind, she didn't look up or seem to even notice. The realization of what Shalua had actually done echoed through her mind instead. And unlike how she was at Junon's shore…thoughts of her being irresponsible or reckless couldn't find their way in to break the fact that she now had on her…no matter how hard she tried.

At long last, Shelke very slowly bent down and plucked the paper off the ground. She then turned her body away from the shore and back to the airship. Her mouth closed and her head went up, and she moved as stoicly as she could back toward the craft.

However, unlike all of the other times, one could now tell that her mood had finally changed.

* * *

"I don't believe this… We just got here for crying out loud!"

"Well, they're in a hurry." Denzel answered from his nearby position, crossing his arms and staring back at the captain. The other two older children were nearby, and all of them were on the bridge's observation deck and looking up to the main pilot. Shelke was on board…but she hadn't followed the rest of them up. At the moment, Denzel didn't really press it. After all… "And we should be too. We've kind of got a lot to worry about now."

"And our little brother and Shera are going to be in trouble if they get there before us." Azure threw in. "Just take us over there. Once we arrive, you can head on back to Wutai while we watch them."

"How are you going to watch them?" Mack immediately retorted.

"We've run into some new friends…" Marlene responded, somewhat under his breath.

"Can we just get going?" Denzel insisted. "I'll tell you the rest once we're on our way there, but we really need to get there before anyone else does!"

The captain let out a small sigh in response. It was clear he was rather sore about this. However, he turned to the rest of the crew soon afterward. They were keeping silent, but it was likely that they shared his same mentality. They were watching him from their stations to see where they would be needed next. He watched them a moment before motioning with his hand.

"…We're headed for Highwind."

One of them spoke up almost immediately. "We only have 13 percent fuel remaining…"

"I know, I know." Mack answered. "But that's enough to get us there and then back to Wutai's terminal." After saying this, he looked down to the others. "You understand that? Once we leave you behind, you won't be seeing us again for a while. We're going to need to refuel this thing."

"Fine. Let's just get there." Denzel answered with some impatience.

The pilot frowned a little at his response, but went to his own instrument panel and began his own takeoff series. He had only gotten a few switches into it when a few heavy "thunks" were heard farther back in the airship and echoing down over them. At the same time, the entire airship itself shifted slightly. Immediately, he and the other crewmembers looked up.

"What the hell was that?"

Marlene herself looked up, but then looked back down with a bit of a sheepish stare.

"I…think they got on board."

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't like how much I felt like I rushed through Shelke's bit...but hopefully it's not as bad as it seems to me...


	20. Bad Dog

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thus far, this is the only chapter in the entire saga where I have actually looked up a transcript of dialogue from a game to write. You guys should figure out which part it is. Again, I hope I get the right emotional effect...

* * *

The trip didn't take nearly as long as the one they had just endured. That one had taken almost twelve hours. This one, on the other hand, couldn't have taken more than two. It was rather short by comparison, and with so much more on the minds of those gathered, as well as the knowledge of the new visitors resting on top, it should have seemed to fly by in just a matter of minutes.

But to one person…time was still standing still.

Shelke the Transparent…Shelke Rui…perhaps some creature that was a mixture of both…sat in the main corridor of the airship. All around her, machines hummed. Gears turned through transparent sections of the panels. With her back to the metal wall, the vibrations were running through her as she sat there, legs tucked into her body and head bowed over them. Her face, as always, was emotionless. Her eyes, filled with color again from her latest recharge, gazed out in front of her.

Hovering in front of her face in one fist, pinching it at a corner to hold it up, was the crumpled piece of paper.

She didn't know how long she sat there staring at it, but even with her concepts of time it seemed to be longer than two hours. Yet the universe had seemed to have halted for her as she stared at it now. She didn't know why she just simply stared at it for so long. She should have discarded it or unfolded it or something. Yet she wasn't able to move her own limbs.

Deep within…she kept hearing the same words from earlier…

_If the thing is truly important…not even death can stop you._

The paper slowly turned around in Shelke's fingers.

_Was that it, sister?_ She thought. _Was that why you still stood? Is that why you gave your body to Shiva?_

There was no answer. And Shelke now knew that there never would be. She knew what it meant for a normal person to drink one of those essences. She was gone. Even Shiva didn't bear enough resemblance to her to arouse her memory. Here she was, left alone again…

_Alone again…_

Shelke slowly inhaled and exhaled.

She had been alone for over a decade. Why did now make any difference? It was what she had wanted. She hadn't wanted to see her sister ever again. She didn't need to. She was who she had become, and no one else. She had gotten by without any emotion or feeling other than discipline and duty for years. Her mind had rarely turned to Shalua, and if it was it was only for a moment of bitterness. Even realizing that she was still alive recently had barely affected her.

And yet…now she felt alone. She hadn't felt this way since…

The paper turned in her hand again.

She almost gave a short laugh to herself. She couldn't believe the irony. Up until now, she had been trying to get away from Shalua again as much as she could. She hadn't cared one iota for her, only that she stay back. Then this came up…a move that she would have brushed off as stupidity normally. Yet two hours later, and she still couldn't think of this in those terms. She could only think of the event and what it meant. At any rate, she had wanted to be apart from her again so much…wanted her to stop trying to make up for what she failed to do…

And now? Now…she began to realize that she hadn't been as indifferent to her as she had thought. She had wanted to see her alive again as well…and that she was alright. Who would have thought? After all this time…some part of her still cared…

Perhaps…some part of her had wanted to look out for _her_ instead…

Shelke turned the paper one more time. She looked at it again and focused her attention, both physically and mentally on it. She was silent and still for a few minutes.

Then…her fingers slowly shifted into it, moving under the flaps and pushing them out. Very slowly, she smoothed out the wad of crumpled paper and formed the flat sheet that it had originally been. Somehow, she focused only on her task at hand first. She didn't look at it, although the message was simple enough. She didn't until she had managed to get the paper smoothed back into its rectangular shape. Once that was done, she looked it over.

There was some letterhead indicating a faint receipt from Highwind Airways. There were also holes from where it had been pinned to something. However, she noted most of all the few small words sketched on it.

_Save Shelke. Tell her I didn't lie._

The young woman stared at those words without moving any further. Her eyes focused especially on that second phrase.

_Tell her I didn't lie…_

Seeing this, the young woman slowly closed her eyes.

What happened next within her was as if someone had long ago packed a hundred things into a trunk, locked it, and then shoved it into an attic and locked the door…trying to forget they ever were and yet unable to destroy them. Now…for the first time in longer than she remembered…she slowly moved her hands out to unlock the barriers. The lid was open.

Memories came back…

* * *

_Two girls and a woman at a table._

_"…I'm going to have to pick up more hours, you two."_

_"…"_

_"…Do you have to?"_

_"I'm sorry, honey. I do."_

_"I don't want you to go…"_

_"I have to, sweetie."_

_"But…you keep saying you hurt when you come back from work already… And you said you get dizzy…"_

_"…I'll manage. And I have to. With your father gone…"_

* * *

_"Sniff…"_

_"Don't cry, Shelke. We'll see dad again."_

_"That's right, Shalua. Now I'm going to have to ask you for something."_

_"What?"_

_"I need to ask you to look after Shelke. I'm not going to be in for most of the day now, and we really can't afford a babysitter. So I need you to watch out for her. Make sure she stays safe."_

_"I will, mom. I promise."_

_"…I love you both so much…"_

* * *

_Flowers on a grave._

_"Stop crying, Shelke."_

_"But… But…"_

_"It's alright. Mom just returned to the Planet. We'll see her again."_

_"We will?"_

_"Of course we will. Mom said everything in this world flows around in a circle. That mean's she'll come back someday. Mom wouldn't lie to us, right?"_

_"Right."_

* * *

_"Right."_

_"Big sister? You're going to be in SOLDIER? That's great!"_

_"Great for us, Shelke. It means we'll be pulling in real money. Maybe I can even get you moved into some of the company housing…"_

_"Does this mean you're going to be off fighting in the war?"_

_"I don't know…probably."_

_"…"_

_"Shelke? What's wrong?"_

_"…I don't want you joining then."_

_"Why?"_

_"…Dad died…Mom died…you're the only one left…"_

_"Shelke…"_

_"I know mom always told us they'd come back…but I miss them now… I don't want to be alone, big sister…"_

_"Shelke…listen to me."_

_"…"_

_"No matter what happens…nothing will ever stop me from coming to you. I'll always be there when you need me. I promise."_

* * *

Shelke stared ahead at the ground. Slowly…she began to feel something she had almost forgotten.

Pricks began to move over her heart.

The stone of her soul began to crack.

_…I need you now, big sister._

_I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you. There's things I wanted to say to you… Things I forgot that I put away… Things I only remember now. I have to tell you that I didn't just want you to save me... I wanted to see you one more time. I wanted to know you were still alive…_

_I forgive you. I don't care that you didn't come. I just want to see you again…_

_One more time…_

_I have to tell you…_

_I love you._

Warm sensation ran along Shelke's cheeks.

The girl's face had hardly changed…but a hand went up and touched her cheeks. She slowly drew it back and looked down.

Tears were on her fingers.

"…I didn't think I had any tears left…"

* * *

Mack hung up the phone and let out an exhale. He looked down a bit to the observation platform. Seeing as this was a short trip, the kids had stayed in here. Now they looked up to him earnestly to see what he had found.

The pilot cracked his neck. "Finally some good news. They're already there and the kids are asleep. Nothing's going bad so far. And we'll be there in just five minutes."

Azure let out an exhale and turned back to the window. "Going to seem like the longest five minutes of my life…but it's good."

"Alright, listen up." Mack continued. "I'm already starting to get messages on the radio with Yuffie screaming her head off at me for turning around, so we're going to head this airship back pretty soon after dropping off. Now since I don't think the terminal is going to be too keen on admitting us with a bunch of giant monsters riding on our back without calling in the militia, I'm going to pull us up as close to Shera's house as possible and drop you guys off."

Marlene looked a bit uneasy at that. "Won't you get in trouble?"

Mack waved it off. "Not in Highwind. Besides, who are they going to complain to? The company President AKA me? We'll head back as soon as possible. In the meantime, you should see if that DeepGround girl has any ideas for busting us into Midgar. She can start thinking up a plan. I don't think you'll see us again at least until noon today."

"Today?" Denzel echoed. He gave a look at his watch. Soon after, he rolled his eyes. "Ugh…I'm never going to get back into my rhythm after all this…"

"You tended to oversleep before anyway, Denzel…" Azure jibed.

"Yeah, yeah… We're in the middle of a life or death situation, and which of the two of us is making jokes?" He ribbed back.

"It's not my fault you make it so easy." Azure calmly answered without turning away from the window.

"Stop bitching and get ready to get out once we land. We better get that girl back in here t-"

"I'm already here."

Everyone in the cockpit turned their heads. They were just in time to see the metal hydraulic door slide shut. Strolling in rather calmly, face still stoic but movements seeming perhaps just a little less businesslike, was Shelke. She didn't bother asking for orders or for their situation. She simply walked right up to the observation platform and took a stand on it among the others. Azure and Marlene both stared at her with a hint of puzzlement at this. Denzel himself gave her a bit of a frown, but he couldn't help but see how she readily seemed to come into their midst. Until now, she seemed to always be at least somewhat aloof from the rest of them.

"We're nearly to the dismount area, correct?" She asked once she stood there, looking out the front window.

Mack paused for a moment, seeming to notice her sudden increase in what appeared to be cooperation. However, he gave a nod. "Yeah. ETA four minutes."

"Alright." She answered. "Without weapons I'm not that good, but I'll help in any way I can with my limbs."

"Hopefully, with your new friends, that will be enough…" Mack answered as he looked back ahead and kept the airship moving.

* * *

Sure enough, it didn't take much longer for the _Excalibur_ to arrive. And Captain Mack did know the area rather well. Although there were trees interspersing the area surrounding the town, there were big enough spaces in several areas to get them rather close. Denzel himself noted that the pilot picked out a big one only about 200 yards away from the house. There were a few trees in the way, but overall it looked like it was good. A nice straight shot to the house from there. They'd be coming around the back, but oh well. Here there were plenty of places for the espers to hide. Although Denzel was getting more used to them, the fact of the matter was they'd make everyone else flip out.

About a minute after Mack picked out the right spot, the _Excalibur_ finished its descent and went into a hover. A second later, and a hiss of hydraulics went out as the side of it cracked open and lowered toward the ground. The ship was hovering too high for it to touch all the way, but it was low enough for anyone to hop out easily. And that's exactly what happened next. Denzel and Azure hopped out, followed behind by Shelke and tailed by Marlene. The two boys had swords on their backs, while the ladies remained unarmed.

The engines of the airship were rather loud from this close to it, and the wind was blasting against them. Therefore, Denzel's first move, as he winced and bore against the noise, was to put some distance between himself and the craft. He immediately ran toward Shera's house, although he only intended on going a short distance for now. The others quickly fell in behind him. As he ran, the wind power cut off, and the roar died down considerably. He slowly stopped wincing and feeling the pain, and was able to stand fully upright once they had gotten a bit farther.

At that point, the youth came to a stop. The others soon slowed down next to him, and followed his movements as he turned back to the airship. He extended a hand and began to beckon toward the top. "Alright! Follow-"

Denzel cut himself off. There was nothing there.

Immediately, the youth's hand fell and he looked up in confusion. The others soon noted what he saw as well. The espers were gone. From where they were standing, they should have easily picked up on the three big ones at least. The fact that they didn't meant that they had to have left.

"What the…?" Denzel began to say.

"Did they blow off?" Marlene ventured.

"Let's try to get ahold of the captain." Azure suggested. "Maybe we can…"

Unfortunately, the youth spoke a little too late. Even as he was still talking, the engines on the airship gunned once again. Soon, the massive craft was beginning to lift off. Denzel's eyes widened and he nearly stepped forward to raise a hand and try to stop them. But even if they could see them, which was unlikely, it didn't matter. Soon the ship was back in the air, turning, and blasting off once again, this time back for Wutai. The only sign that it had been there at all within a few moments was simply the huge echoing roar and the sounds of trees rustling. Denzel's hand dropped limply, and the others stared hopelessly back. The air soon began to settle.

"…Terrific." Denzel groaned.

"Forget about them." Shelke's voice suddenly announced. The boy turned back to her, and saw that she was already turning back toward Shera's house. "The children are the higher priority now. We will simply have to make do as we are."

Without another word, Shelke began to move toward the house once again. The three teens were left behind. With a bit of hesitation, they looked to one another. The truth was, Denzel was uneasy to go along without the help of the espers. He certainly didn't feel like fighting any one of them…except maybe the rabbit one…on his own, so he had to reason that he wouldn't want to fight any of the others that they had mentioned. Yet at the same time, he caught another note in on Shelke's voice. That was his little brother in there with the twins. There was a personal stake as well in this for him, and a far greater chance for dire consequences as far as the twins went. After a bit longer, he began to fall behind. The others quickly followed.

There didn't appear to be anyone out waiting for them, luckily. Denzel couldn't see that well through the trees at first, but as they continued to advanced nothing changed. There weren't any shadows in the woods that looked out of place, and the streets around the house up ahead looked empty as well. All in all, it seemed to be fairly smooth sailing. Just the same, Denzel would feel a lot better once they got there. He had no idea how or when some of these esper things could pop out. The trees soon thinned out up ahead as they rushed along, and finally they broke through the line all together. They emerged into the yard area behind Shera's house.

The four were a bit more wary after that. They were out in the open. If anyone was going to make a move on them, now was the time. Denzel realized only as they began running through the yard to get around the back of the house that if someone had a gun, they could snipe them now. However, no shots went out. And as they got around the back and went into the space between homes, no one else moved out on the street. They were free to keep going forward until they faced the street itself, but there was still no one for blocks in visual range. Shelke paused a moment there, and the others did as well. They used the moment to scan the surroundings. Seeing nothing, they quickly turned around back to the front of the house, ran through the rest of the yard, and came right up to the front. After ducking under a small porch underhang, they stood right in front of it.

Marlene moved to the door itself while Denzel, Azure, and Shelke stood around her. The two boys continued to scan around them for any sound or sight that was unusual. "Looks like we're in the clear…" Azure spoke aloud. "It probably makes sense. No airship could get here without alerting the local terminal's radar. They'd have to check in first."

"That wouldn't stop DeepGround, but for now I agree with you." Shelke responded. "We should move out again as soon as the _Excalibur_ is finished in Wutai. There's probably enough of a trail for Diablos to reason that we came here. If we were on a 'mobile hideout', however, we might be able to stay clear."

Marlene didn't answer this, but knocked on the door while they were speaking. When Shelke finished, no one had answered it yet. With a bit more hesitation, Marlene reached up and knocked once again.

"I'm coming!" A voice appeared from the other side. Recognizing it as an older woman, the four found some relief. A few moments later, and the locks were undone from the other side. It swung open, and revealed a somewhat middle-aged woman with glasses large enough to be a match for Rex standing there. She looked rather drawn up and "bookish", rather like how Shalua had appeared, although none of them save Shelke could know that. However, what all four of them saw that caused them some relief immediately was that both of her eyes were visible and not red.

"Oh, you're here." She stated as she recognized them. "Where's Mack and the _Excalibur?_"

"They headed back to Wutai to pick up Mrs. Kisaragi and some other people." Denzel answered. "Are the kids asleep?"

"Asleep?" Shera answered. "I just got up a little while ago. It's going to be dawn pretty soon. They'll be getting up too before too much longer."

The youth grimaced and gave a groan as he put a hand to his head. "I'm going to be behind the rest of today…"

Azure, however, turned around and looked to the wider sky behind them. Denzel looked up when he noticed that, and realized that he had to be looking for signs that the sky was beginning to change. It was, actually. It had just started to turn purple, announcing the coming of the sun. Denzel took the moment to look around at the street again. Nobody was out yet, and no one seemed to be watching them. It was another source of relief. He turned back along with his older friend.

"Let's get inside." Marlene spoke up. "I don't like being out where people might see us. So long as that thing has people spying for him, there might be someone trying to find out where the kids are."

Azure turned and gave a nod. "I agree."

Denzel nodded as well. As he did, Shera stepped back and began to gesture them in. She was about to say something else to them, probably some form of welcome or direction, but that was interrupted as a gentle yet very potent sound suddenly went off behind them. It was something soft with some give, yet also very large, abruptly smacking against roadway surface.

As Shera's mouth opened…it froze in that position as her eyes stared beyond the group. The four saw this right after hearing the noise…and all save Shelke immediately began to sweat and tense up. Even as this happened, Denzel began to sense very moist, hot breath begin to come down against the back of his neck.

_"Too late for that, humans…but thanks for pointing out which building they were in. Now I don't have to tear apart this town to find them."_

The four stiffened as fear shot through them. Denzel himself was immobilized for a moment as he began to realize that something had just come behind them…something with three very loud, very menacing voices and very hot breath. He stiffened a second longer, not moving and thinking over what he could do…when he suddenly snapped around, stretching out one arm to quickly sweep Marlene closer to the door and between him and whatever monster had appeared behind them. Azure moved almost in concert, only he swept Shelke behind him and aimed his hands out with the Masamune aimed at whatever horror was there. Both of them nearly swallowed at the sight.

A very large and monstrous looking creature was looking back at them. It had horrible black mottled skin with a canine appearance and three monstrous heads. Each mouth snarled and dripped drool as it showed its teeth and exposed light from down its throat. It was rippling with muscle and was so close that they could see the moisture glistening off its canines as it swept its tail behind it and extended and retracted its claws. The nearest of its three heads hovered only two feet away from the two boys. Its eyes gleamed yellow as it let out a low growl.

Denzel and Azure alike both felt a particularly powerful wave of fear ripple through them as they realized what it was. The same monster they had seen on television when all of this started.

The beast let out a snarl at seeing them, seeming to be amused. _"I'd put those knives away if I were you, runts. You might cut yourselves."_

Both of them were rather intimidated at this point, and both of them knew that this thing had killed many lesser people already without much effort. Nevertheless…running was hardly an option at this point. They had to try and stand their ground, although neither looked like much of a match. Denzel really wished the espers were there now. As it turned out, Azure was the one to break the silence and assert his boldness.

"This is hardly a knife, Cerberus." He stated as strongly as he could, even announcing the name that they had learned from the others. "It's the Masamune. The strongest blade every forged. I don't think even you can-"

Before another word could come out, both Azure and Denzel were petrified in shock. Within the blink of an eye, two of Cerberus' heads had lashed forward, turned, bit down on either blade, and then proceeded to yank them out of their hands. By the time either of them realized what was happening, they were seeing the two heads snap to the side and toss both of their weapons out behind them into the street, putting a good hundred feet or more between them and their weapons. As they realized that they had suddenly been disarmed, the monster's heads, much more slowly, turned back to them. They were grinning now.

_"Sorry for that interruption. You were saying?"_

Both Denzel and Azure struggled not to look afraid. They stood their ground, but there was little to nothing that they could do. They could only swallow and look bold. As they did, the monster drew himself back a little, but only so that his mouths could start to glow more intensely.

_"Alright…enough wasting time. I'm going to give you four to the count of ten to stand aside, and then I'm going to simply blow you away along with half of the house."_

The two youths looked to each other. They were both beginning to sweat. Denzel, at this point, knew of only one other thing. Azure could call the Masamune back to him again. However, even if he did so, this thing was _fast_. It had proven that just a moment ago. Would he be able to strike it before it was too late? And if he did, would it be enough to stop him? He knew from the news report what he was doing. And they had no way to protect themselves if he was going to fire those energy rockets…

_"One…"_ The creature finally began. Both boys stiffened again, and Denzel snapped out of his thoughts. _"Two… Three… Ten."_

Without any further warning, before Denzel or Azure could even realize the esper's treachery, the mouths opened and fired. Blinding shots of crimson light began to sail straight for them, crackling with deadly energy and threatening to blow them all to pieces. There was nothing they could do to stop it or dodge. They were dead. Denzel's heart froze. He raised his arms up and closed his eyes, prepared to be blown away and shielding himself in futility.

The light continued to get closer and brighter for a few moments…before Denzel, in the midst of his fear and thoughts of annihilation, heard some sort of hollow sound…like some sort of cosmic steel drum.

After that, the light seemed to get dimmer and the sound level off somewhat…before a powerful energy explosion went off. It was loud and ear-piercing, and the light stabbed at his eyes through closed lits. The force of the eruption slammed against the youth and blew back his clothes and hair. However…that was all. No heat or pain was felt. And Denzel, along with the others, realized that in short order. They hadn't been hit by the move. With that in mind, Denzel opened his eyes and slowly lowered his arms, looking to see what had happened.

To his amazement, they were no longer alone.

Hovering just in front of them, paws aimed at his own forehead, was Carbuncle. The prism on it was giving off some sort of light that made some sort of wall of ruby-colored energy in front of their group. Yet what else was there was even more surprising. Cerberus had been knocked into the street, and crimson colored smoke was fading off of of his body. With a growl, he was only slowly beginning to spread out his paws around him to try and force his body back up and around into a stance, and not having much luck. A bit of a score mark was on the ground from where energy had struck him, and it drug him back into the street.

Carbuncle had rebounded its own energy back at it.

A moment later, however, and the ruby light cut off. The small creature seemed to have had invisible strings holding it upright cut, and it sailed back toward the ground. Once there, it stared ahead and flicked its tail dangerously, trying to look as menacing as it could be. That wasn't much, unfortunately… And as for Cerberus, he gave out a suddenly large snarl…and then snapped his massive body up and around, shooting his body up and landing on all fours once again. His massive body shook the ground and fractured the street as he landed. Now, all three heads were mad.

_"Another traitor, eh?"_ It snarled. _"Well, I know enough to know that your little trick only defends your puny little body against magic attacks. I'll just rip you and the four behind you to pieces with my own-"_

Abruptly…Cerberus vanished. Denzel and the others snapped back a bit in surprise. The boy himself thought that he was attacking again, once more moving without warning. Yet they soon found out that wasn't the case. He did disappear, but a moment later a white-hot bolt of electricity snapped down and obliterated the pavement where he had been standing. Blackened bits of stone were cast everywhere, but nothing flesh and bone was struck. Denzel turned his head soon after and saw where Cerberus had gone. He was merely twenty feet to one side, with his three heads looking up menacingly at what had shot at him. Denzel himself looked up, and saw that the electric form of Quetzacoatl was there, already preparing another shot.

_"Nice try, chicken." _The thing boasted._ "But I was thinking that runt wasn't dumb enough to try and take me on alone. And I'm too fast to-UGH!"_

That was all Cerberus was able to say before his body was pitched forward by the force of a fiery eruption exploding along his backside. All three heads roared in pain as he was cast up and sent crashing down to land heavy on all three of his jaws, before being dragged along part of the pavement again. He was forced to lay flat for a moment, sneering and letting out drool as he recovered from his latest pain. His back smoldered and smoked, and Denzel turned and looked to see yet another come in.

Hanging from the side of a nearby tree, making it smoke and char underneath his own power, Ifrit flashed his own menacing teeth at the monster as he yanked off a tree branch. Holding it one hand, he seemed to be warping it with his own power, making it curl and condense to form a flaming sphere glowing with bright fire in his palm.

"Good thing you're still too dumb to think of being attacked from two sides at once, mutt."

Cerberus' eyes snapped open, and a terrible, air-shaking roar came from all three heads. Moving with an even faster snap than before, he was immediately on his feet and turning back to Ifrit. He snarled as his mouthes charged up energy once again. Yet just before snapping his head forward to fire…he vanished, once again missing one of Quetzacoatl's hits. He reappeared fifty feet to the side, and fired his own shots at the fire esper. Ifrit saw this, and with his own fiery snarl leapt out of the tree, letting the rockets just barely miss him and blow the top of the plant into splinters. Energy-charged bits rained down all around the area as the creature flung his flaming orb at Cerberus. This turned out to be yet another ill-fated move, as Cerberus immediately dodged that one in the blink of an eye. As the orb turned another part of the road into a flaming crater, the three-headed beast reappeared with its back to Ifrit and fired off another volley at Quetzacoatl. The bird esper quickly swerved to avoid, but just barely managed to miss it. The shots followed it somewhat, as if they were some sort of seeking missiles. When they did go off, they were still rather close to the esper, and it gave out a mild screech of pain itself. Cerberus vanished and reappeared again, firing off once more at the esper. Quetzacoatl wasn't able to return fire so easily, and so it was forced to quickly shoot into the air to avoid the initial rocket volley, and then dive again soon after to screw up the seeking aim as she charged her own power.

Cerberus moved to attack again, but then once more vanished. A flaming orb blew up behind it a second later, and Ifrit let out a curse from his new position on the street as once more he was dodged. The monster, now grinning, turned around once it rematerialized, and prepared to fire another set of rockets at the flaming esper. Ifrit looked up and braced himself to dodge, but right before Cerberus fired…he once again vanished and reappeared at a different angle. As a result, he not only managed to dodge Quetzacoatl's latest attack, but readjusted to fire at Ifrit from a different angle with two of his heads, while aiming the third at Quetzacoatl. As a result, the flaming esper wasn't ready. He turned and tried to leap off in the other direction, for he had been preparing to dodge in the way that Cerberus was now firing from, but he still caught some of the blast that resulted, and gave a cry as he was sent flying a bit and let crash on his face. Quetzacoatl herself wasn't expecting the counter, and tried to bring her wings up to block the rocket. She was still struck, however, and sent flying back from the power of the glowing explosion.

By now, Cerberus was beginning to laugh as his face turned to a confident expression. Denzel realized that with his speed and his ability to see from three different directions at once, even two on two wasn't adequate to combat him. He started to charge his rockets again as the two attacking espers struggled to recover, but to make it even worse he teleported once more…

And on doing so, his cocky expression faded and turned to surprise. A moment later, and his paws slipped out from underneath him, and he fell flat on his belly.

Denzel was once again amazed, but soon caught the source. Most suddenly, he realized that the street had begun to develop a coating of ice. A blue aura that began to shine overhead soon revealed why. He looked up, and was just in time to see Shiva descending on a light glide over their heads and toward the street. Her hands were moving in strange ways. It was clear to Denzel that she was the one who had generated the surface to make Cerberus slip.

His pride immediately replaced by anger once again, Cerberus extended his claws and got to his feet once again with one snap. On reaching it, he quickly dug his feet down into the ice and hooked himself there, generating enough traction to stay upright. As he did, he once again began to summon his energy, and this time stared at Shiva. Ifrit and Quetzacoatl couldn't respond. The fire esper was still rising, now looking rather angry himself, and beginning to pick up a piece of concrete to charge it. Quetzacoatl was shaking off the energy herself and charging her own power. Cerberus himself looked moments from firing…

When Denzel noticed something. Cerberus' body abruptly pitched forward, yet his legs stayed planted. He gave out a bit of a dog yelp when this happened, and seemed to be in pain. Snarling, he snapped again in much the same speed, but only yelped once again for his effort. Seeming to be angry, he didn't attack but looked down to his feet. When he did so…he noticed ice collecting around them all the way up his lower legs, rapidly thickening as well.

The youth realized what had happened. Once again, Cerberus had planned to teleport and then fire, to catch Shiva off guard. But his act of slipping had delayed him enough for Shiva to focus on his legs, and freeze him in place. Now his greatest advantage abruptly disappeared. He was stuck in his spot. And as he realized this and seemed to grow angrier yet…two of his heads looked out and saw that Ifrit and Quetzacoatl were almost recovered and ready to fire at him from two sources at once.

Looking rather enraged, Cerberus did the only other move he could so long as he was trapped. He quickly split his three heads among the three of them and summoned even more power, until his teeth began to vanish under the haze of the bright crimson glow within his throats. He was summoning up the strongest rockets he had yet, and was ready to blast all three at a time. Unable to move and struggling to break the ice, he snapped all three of his heads at once and sent rockets flying in three different directions, just as Ifrit and Quetzacoatl were preparing to shoot. These ones were far brighter and more energetic than before, cracking the air and sending a crimson glow all over the residential area…

That, however…was when Denzel noticed that the small green creature was no longer in front of them.

Abruptly, Carbuncle leapt into the air again, this time in front of Shiva. As he watched, the creature focused its ruby once again, and sent its light out once more. This time, however, it didn't spread it just in front of it and in front of Shiva. It managed to focus its light out in straight lines to either side of it, since there was no obstruction between it and the other two espers, and drew a barrier in front of Ifrit and Quetzacoatl as well. All three of them were soon guarded by the ruby light. Even as Cerberus was still in the process of firing, its own eyes widened in shock as it saw all three of its massive rockets impact off of the three barriers and come right back at him. As this happened, Ifrit himself grinned evilly and threw his own shot. Quetzacoatl, expressionless as always, pitched her head forward and fired off her own blast of electricity. Both shots easily went through the opposite side of the barrier, and now the three combined attacks, fire, electricity, and rockets, all went sailing toward the immobilized canine.

Cerberus only had time to roar in fury before the shots impacted him.

Somewhere in the midst of the ensuing explosion Denzel heard the sounds of ice shatter. Pieces of melting shards went flying from the resulting eruption and cacophony of energy and smoke. The street was lit up and an echo sent through the town as a result. But most importantly, Denzel saw a sizzling, smoking form shoot out from the smoke. It wasn't a result of a dodge or last moment movement. It was what was thrown out as a result of the explosion. As the smoke began to clear and the light die down, Denzel was able to see the hulking form of Cerberus, now practically lifeless as a result of the power it had just sustained, go hurling further down the street, tumbling over himself against the pavement before finally coming to a stop.

The energy died down, revealing yet another smoldering crater in the street, before Carbuncle landed. When he did, all four espers began to move in and condense. Up ahead of them, Denzel saw that they were closing in on Cerberus' body. It was still smoking and looking rather beaten up, but it wasn't springing back up again either. It was lying in mostly a heap on the ground farther away from Shera's house. Denzel couldn't make out much from this distance, but based on how slowly it was writhing, the youth realized that he wasn't going to be fighting back as ferociously as he had, if at all. And now, the four began to close in on it. Carbuncle and Ifrit moved on foot while Shiva and Quetzacoatl hovered inward. It looked like they were ready to apply the finishing blow, but Denzel couldn't really be sure what they were going to do next from this distance…

However, because they were so far away, Denzel and the others were able to catch something out of their peripheral vision. He noticed something coming out from between two houses. It was a pair of flames. Although they were red and appeared to be fire…he noticed something odd about them. They seemed somewhat faint…strange…like they were ethereal or ghostly almost. Before he could focus on them any further…another set of flames, parallel to the first, appeared just a bit further ahead of them closer to the street. He turned to these in surprise, and at that point realized that these flames weren't actually burning anything. They had simply appeared out of midair. A moment later, and another set lit up, this one over the sidewalk. Then another, this one going into the street. More began to follow, and Denzel realized they were tracing a set of lines out.

It was at that moment that Denzel thought he almost heard something distant…yet growing closer.

_Is that…a train engine?_

The espers continued to close in on their fallen opponent, when the lights began to form in front of them. Immediately, they froze as they saw two of the torches spring up in such a way that they straddled Cerberus' fallen form. They were appearing faster now. Soon another appeared further along his body, and another at the end. They continued to appear, tracing the dual lines across the residential area until they formed a trace that went across the entire street. The espers hesitated and stared at this, but even as they did Denzel realized he was indeed hearing a train engine. It was getting closer and becoming more distinctive. And yet…it was weird. It was like no train engine he had ever heard before. It sounded more…natural…as if he was listening to something very large and powerful that was alive mimicking the sound of a train. And as a result, the noises started to sound less and less innocuous…and more and more like some sort of great creature breathing or growling…

The four espers looked to the side, where the flames had emerged. As for Cerberus, he was still too stunned and dazzled to even get on his feet, let alone notice any of this. He wasn't even aware of the lines that had formed across him. Yet as for the espers, they looked only a moment, before abruptly each of them turned away and began to run back toward the house. It was a good thing too…for it came a moment later.

Bolting by far faster than any train Denzel had ever seen in his life came a monstrous, loud, and altogether fearsome-looking locomotive. It shot by at such blinding speed that he wasn't even able to see it clearly, but he did think that he saw some sort of green light eminating from the front of the engine as it shot past. It was weird, too. That light…almost made him feel sick to his stomach. Something about its color turned his insides… At any rate, it tore by so quickly that soon Denzel only saw its length shooting past, and that was so fast that he couldn't make out any wheels or cars…just some sort of black and pukish orange color roaring past. It had nearly hit the espers, and would have if they hadn't leapt back just in time, but Cerberus was not so lucky. Denzel realized that this train had been making its own track by generating those flames, and that Cerberus had been right in the middle when it struck. Now he vanished into the blinding cars of the train as it roared by.

The espers, now clear and much closer to Shera's house, stopped and looked back. They saw the train roar by for a few seconds, all before the end of it came and it vanished out between the homes where it had laid the last of its "track". As it shot by, however, the flames evaporated behind it, destroying the "track" it had made as soon as it came. Once it had gone by…there wasn't anything left behind. Cerberus was gone, without leaving a single trace of himself behind. No blood or signs of damage either. The train's engine continued to roar, and even gave out a massive whistle…one that sounded like some large, unearthly thing bellowing out a sharp cry…but then it rapidly faded into the distance, far faster than any normal train. Within moments, all signs of it was gone as well.

Denzel stared blankly along with the others, trying to wonder what had just happened. However, the youth didn't have to stare long. It soon began to click in his memory. He realized that the espers had said there was some sort of "Phantom Train" that had been brought back too. He was still a bit amazed even on realizing that, however. He didn't think that he had meant it _literally_. That thing was shooting by with so much speed and power that he didn't see how you could stop it…especially if it made its own tracks as it went by… At any rate, that thing…if the whole thing had been alive, that was…intimidated Denzel far more than Cerberus had.

However, there were only a few more moments of silence before the espers began to snort. Ifrit extended his middle claw and waved it in the direction the train had gone.

"Big coward. You slimeballs are all the same. The moment you can't take a little heat you run for your lives."

Carbuncle, however, did a nimble flip in the air. "Whee! That was fun! Did you see the look on his ugly mug when I bounced his attack right back at him? I never get tired of that. Big blockheads fall for it every time… I wish there would have been a few more for me to bash."

"You may get your wish sooner than you think…" Shiva coldly answered as she turned and began to head back toward the house.

However, Quetzacoatl had already beaten them to it. The bird esper had turned and flown back over to them, and went into a hover just in front of where they were standing, much where Cerberus had been not too long ago. "Are all of you alright?"

Denzel blinked a moment, and looked over the others. Azure seemed fine, as did Shelke. Marlene seemed like she was still calming down. Shera, however, stared with much the same amazement as she had when Cerberus first appeared, and she had pressed back so much against the door it looked like she would fall over. She blinked at the electrical esper as she hovered there.

"I…I guess I didn't quite believe…what you meant…when you said you had espers on your side…" She slowly remarked as she stared at the creature.

Carbuncle turned around from his own position in the street, looking back to Shera. He gave out a small whistle. "In the flesh, toots." After that, he began to make his own way back toward the front of the house. Ifrit soon fell in, and all four of them were making their way forward. The four soon found themselves involuntarily moving back a bit more as the four espers began to overshadow them once again. After all, they were rather large and powerful compared to them still, and the fight they had just seen had been a bit out of their league.

Shiva was next to arrive, and offered a cold explanation. "Espers like Cerberus are too foolish to suspect the worse and mask their presence. We sensed him lying in wait as soon as we began to land. So we abandoned the ship and hid, covering up our own energy signatures, so that we could spring on him when he made a move."

"Spanked 'im good, too." Carbuncle chuckled as he scurried back up to the feet of the teens.

"Well, that was just one." Quetzacoatl answered with a bit of a worried-sounding tone. "And he'll heal up and be madder than ever when he comes back…"

"Quetzacoatl's right." Shiva added. "Now they know that there's at least four of us, who we are, and what to expect next time. I was hoping that we could have disabled him and forced him to give up more information about Diablos' movements and remove one of our opponents. Now this may end up doing us more harm than good."

Ifrit crossed his arms and gave a grunt. "You always have a way with throwing mud in our eyes, Shiva…"

Denzel, however, along with most of the others, focused on what Shiva had said. And the youth began to realize she was right. He had just begun to start feeling happy that they had managed to save the kids, when he realized that they would likely be in more danger next time. If anything, this encounter had done a lot more for Diablos than it had for them. He turned back down to the others, and noticed that while Shera was starting to stand again and nervously push her glasses back up, the others were looking back to him and growing more uncomfortable as they realized the truth. Things might be worse than ever.

As if to top that all off…a new sound suddenly aroused their attention. Far in the distance, what had to be a few blocks away, came the first loud whine of a siren. It soon began to increase in volume as it changed its pitch. The espers, the most confused by that, turned and looked out to the streets in the distance.

"What's that? That damn train coming back again?" Ifrit snorted. He began to reach for the ground to find something to charge up his flames again.

"Great! I'm in the mood for more beatings!" Carbuncle chirped.

Denzel sweat a bit at that response. Azure spoke up a moment later to offer an explanation. "That's the police. I guess that confirms that Diablos doesn't have spies here yet. Someone around here must have called them when they saw you guys get into a fight."

"And I don't think they'll listen to us if we try and tell them that you guys are the 'good ones'…" Marlene threw in with growing nervousness.

Denzel looked back past them and to the road. He grimaced. The street was a disaster area. The tree that Ifrit had been touching was starting to ignite on fire, and the rest of the pavement was cracked, fractured, upheaved, burned, and coated with ice. It looked like a miniature War of the Magi had broken out on it…which, in a way, it had. He looked back up to the espers a moment later.

"We all need to get out of here." He spoke up. "They'll try to attack you guys if they see you, and they'll probably try to arrest us to find out what we know if anyone saw us talking to you or even if they just know we were here when it happened."

"Oh yeah?" Ifrit answered as he turned back to Denzel. He flexed a red muscle. "Let 'em try. I'll melt those metal wagons they run around in into-"

Shiva put out a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Quite a bit of steam resulted from the two touching, but the ice esper was calm as she addressed them. "Very well. But we need to keep an eye on you. More espers will probably come, and next time they'll probably be smart enough to mask their presence as well. And none of us have been able to transform our bodies since we were reborn. If we're in hiding, we might be too far to watch you."

Denzel hesitated at that. That was a good point. And after seeing how useless they had been against Cerberus…and how much of a help the espers had been… However, at the moment, he was sort of at a loss.

"Alright."

Denzel and the other turned to who had said that. They found themselves looking at Marlene. The girl was already bending down, putting herself closer down to Carbuncle. The creature looked back to her curiously.

"Then we'll take you." She explained as she looked at the green esper. "You're small enough that you could hide easily and maybe pass off as…I don't know…a pet or stuffed animal or something. And if you guys can all talk to each other mentally, then you can say when there's trouble."

The green creature perked up at that. Shiva herself broke her cold exterior to look a bit doubtful, however. She seemed to look disapprovingly at the whole thing. However, Carbuncle was more than happy. Immediately, to a bit of Marlene's shock, he sprung forward onto her shoulders. Immediately, he turned around and curled his furry body around her neck.

"Alright! This is my kind of woman!" He announced as he sat down. "Someone who appreciates my greatness! I like the humans in this generation already."

Marlene, in response, immediately seemed to lose some of her enthusiasm for the suggestion as she stood up. For being so small and seemingly "kid-friendly", this small esper was turning out to be one of the more vocal and sexist out of the espers that had been reborn. She might have reconsidered in another few moments, before Shiva herself gave out a sigh.

"…Very well. I suppose he is the best for the job."

Carbuncle looked up and seemed to frown. "Of course I'm the best for the job!"

"_If_ you can stay on task." Shiva retorted. "Keep in mind that what's going on is serious. No foolishness or idleness."

Carbuncle batted a paw at her in a dismissive gesture. "Ah, keep your…" He looked over her a moment at that, and seemed to grow a bit confused. "Um…well, whatever you wear when you wear something on. They'll be fine."

"Now I'd really like to get out of this town." Azure spoke up. "We should call Mack back right now."

Shera, who had recovered quite a bit at this point, looked back to him regretfully and shook her head. "It won't do much good. He'll have to refuel the _Excalibur_ here, then. And we'll still be stuck here while that's taking place."

"And that would likely be the target they would hit next." Shelke finally contributed. "If he's trying to think ahead of what we're doing, he'll assume that fleeing Highwind in an airship is the exact next thing we do. It might be just as safe to wait in town as long as we can, and then quickly get on board the _Excalibur_ when it arrives and escape."

"Well, let's do _something._" Denzel murmured as he looked up and saw that the sky was rather purple now, and heard the sirens getting much closer. "We're running out of time to talk… Let's get the kids up and move out of here before the police try and stop us and let the espers hide. We'll plan where to go next once we're out of here."

Shera gave a nod in response. "I'll get them." She stated as she turned and began to move back into her home.

"Alright then." Shiva answered with her own nod. "Carbuncle, we're counting on you. Don't fail." With that, she began to ascend on her own power again, no doubt to fly away from the area to a place with cover. Ifrit uncrossed his arms and began to move off as well, and Quetzacoatl started to flap her wings again.

"Ah, just you watch me." Carbuncle answered with another wave of his paw.

Without any further discussion, the group quickly filed in behind Shera as the espers behind them scattered. The door shut a moment later, and the street, ruined and wrecked, was soon abandoned of any potential culprits long before the first squad car arrived on the scene about thirty seconds later.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	21. Cloud of Despair, Ray of Hope

Rex somewhat uneasily stepped out to the seashore. The fact of the matter was he still felt a bit intimidated by the espers, especially that he was now alone with one. And he was having a hard time wrapping his head around everything too. He was still trying to understand how he had gotten so mixed up in everything. However, despite that, he was still feeling some relief that he was able to be of some use. Since everyone else had been a pilot or fighter or scientist, he was beginning to feel like some sort of fifth wheel along for the ride. Yet he had spoken up yesterday as soon as he found out that he could be a real help to the situation.

Of course, that still left coming back to the shoreline on his own. As soon as he had talked a little with the big one, Leviathan, he immediately ran back to Wutai on foot to try and get the information he needed. It wasn't easy. Running into town on foot was hardly his forte, especially considering that the bulging metropolis was several miles away. He had gotten totally winded more than once on the trip, and by the time he finally limped his way through the city limits the sun was beginning to come over the horizon. Undaunted, however, he kept on running. He could have gotten one of the hand taxis that was around town, but at the moment he was rather broke himself. He was forced to run the rest of the way toward the nearest university library. He wasn't a member of any of Wutai's schools, but they had internet connections and printers, and he was able to access his own school's geology network as soon as possible.

Rex used the moment to inspect the situation in the world. Kalm was a mess at this point, according to the news reports. Out of town authorities were being called in to try and reestablish order, but they weren't getting very far. Edge was still totally in radio silence, and there were no authorities available to check on that. It made Rex kind of wish the PPA was still around. They might have been able to have some jurisdiction. Yet at the same time, if they had been in Edge when that Siren esper had brainwashed everyone…that might have made the situation worse. There was little to be done, unfortunately, and so he was only able to look at the networks. It took quite a bit of running around, and finally a trip down to a local "check into cash" to get a likely-illegal, high-interest loan on his credit card to get enough money, but he printed off tons of documents that he thought could help out, and then took back off for shore.

The sun was rather high by the time that Rex got back, and he was rather tired, sweaty, and hungry, but he managed to pick his way along the stones as he made his way back down to the seashore. He wasn't sure he was in the right place, but he had to hope for the best as he arrived. The sea was a bit louder now, sending higher waves to the surf. Sea birds were up and out, and fishing ships were visible in the distance. Yet no one else was present as Rex, arms full of papers, moved out onto the sand.

"Mr. Leviathan!" He called out. "I'm back!"

It seemed like a rather stupid thing to do. After all, he wasn't even sure he was within a mile of the original spot he had been too. And even if he was, his voice would hardly carry over the rest of the surf. Nevertheless, he didn't have many other options. As he came to a halt and stared out at the ocean, he called again.

"Mr. Leviathan!"

As he half expected, nothing happened. The sea continued to roll, but he didn't see any huge serpent come out to greet him. He almost let out a sigh and decided to move again, seeing if he should go further along the shore in some direction and try again.

Right before he could take a step, the surface of the ocean broke with a rather loud crash. Rex snapped to the source in a bit of surprise, and watched as the arrow-like head of Leviathan spun over itself and arched toward him, dragging a length of coils out behind it as it came forth from the ocean. Within a few moments, it was hovering next to Rex at a considerable height. It stopped there and fanned out its fins, cracking its mouth open as well as it did so. Rex himself froze once again as the large sea serpent hovered over him, dripping seawater down around it, before tilting its head down and staring at him.

"Yes, Rex?"

The student exhaled sharply, and seemed to gain his composure. "Whoo…uh…hi." He stated. "I'm…still getting a little nervous whenever one of you guys comes close." He hesitated a moment after that, staying quiet.

When he said nothing for a few moments, Leviathan finally raised one of his eye ridges.

"…Do you have something for me, or did you just wish to say 'good morning'?"

The student stiffened and then snapped out of it. "Oh yeah! Right, right!" Immediately, he bent down to the ground and began to put the papers he had printed and accumulated down on it. He started to spread them out with pictures up, clearly in view of Leviathan. He had to place a few rocks on some to keep them from blowing away, but the esper seemed to take the effort in stride. His own pointed head lowered and began to scan over them with his white eyes.

"This is what I managed to find." Rex spoke as he set the things out. He hadn't put them all out before he started to gesture to certain pictures. "Now, I remembered what you had said. You said you needed things called Adamantine and Lunarite. Now, neither of those things are known by those names to humans anymore, but I was able to look up old terms they used to use to describe materials. And I did actually find those two."

Rex indicated to one picture. "When you said Adamantine, I thought you meant Adamant, which is another name for Paleocenic Diamond. It's this incredibly old, superpressurized diamond that could only be made from the dead bodies of this really primitive form of archaebacteria that somehow incorporated titanium ions into their proteins. Even then, a lot of them had to die to leave enough refuse to form it. Anyway, there's lots of collections of this stuff around the planet as relics or heirlooms, all of it made into metallic form…"

"I'm afraid that's not good enough." Leviathan interrupted, as he looked at the picture. The student looked back to him, and saw the esper give something of a nod. "I believe that what you're talking about is what I seek, but getting it inside its refined form of Adamantium is impossible to melt within any short period of time even with extremely hot sources of flame. I need to find it inside its raw form."

Rex hesitated a moment, before picking up his papers and beginning to go over them and set more out. "Well…" He began. "Most of it that's known on Gaia has been forged already. But there is a vein that Isuzu Industries opened up near the Mythril Mines that they were testing for high-stress applications." He frowned. "The only problem is…both the vein and the ore they already dug out is probably under Diablos' control by now…but they did send out a few samples to a Junon branch. How much do you need?"

"Not much. Perhaps only about 2 Leviaths."

Rex looked to him in confusion. "Two what?"

Leviathan groaned a bit to himself. "…I don't know…about…the volume of a boot?"

The student hesitated, but then nodded back. "They should have that."

"Good." The esper answered. "Now, what about the Lunarite?"

Again, Rex looked uncomfortable. "Eh…that might be a problem. First of all, there's three different things that have been called it in the past." Rex looked down and pointed to three separate pictures, all bearing a similar-looking yet noticeably different white pale element. "Which one of these looks like the one?"

The sea serpent looked over the images. His head darted between them. "Hmm…" He answered. "The quality confuses me somewhat…but I'd say almost certainly this one." He tapped one of the pictures.

Rex grit his teeth and grimaced. "I was afraid of that…" He groaned. "That's even rarer. It's only present in small fragments that struck Gaia in a meteor shower thousands of years ago. We'll never find a raw ore of it bigger than a gil slip."

Leviathan closed his eyes and shook his head as he sighed, before looking back to Rex with the same seriousness. "We must find at least as much as of the other. I cannot make the Magical Lamp without it."

The student continued his uneasy appearance. He was hesitant about this next part, but with great reluctance finally cracked his head and rubbed his chin.

"Well…then that means only one more thing. We'll have to…borrow some."

Leviathan raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"All the large pieces of Lunarite were used in sculptures centuries ago. They're the only sources of large amounts now. If we wanted to get some…we'd have to get it from someone who owns one. But it's really expensive. Priceless, even. There's no way we could ever buy one."

The esper remained serious. "Be that as it may, we still need one. The fate of this world hangs in the balance, and amounts of money will mean nothing to anyone if Diablos has his way."

Rex looked at him a bit, continuing to be uncomfortable. He reached up to the side of his head and scratched before pushing up his glasses on his nose.

"Well…that's why I said…'borrow' some…"

Leviathan's eyes narrowed. "I despise double talk. You mean we'll have to steal some."

Rex gave a shrug. "I'm not that easy about it either, but, you know…my morals and just about everything else have gone kind of nuts ever since I started talking to giant monsters."

The sea serpent sighed. "Unfortunately, you're right. If someone is unwilling to part with it, it's more important that we obtain it in some way than protect their interest. But we'll see what I can do. I wasn't considered one of the wisest of espers for nothing. Where is the nearest place we can go to possibly obtain this artifact?"

"That would be…" Rex began to say, before his face turned puzzled. "Wait, what does it matter? We need a lift from Mack first."

"I don't want to waste a second longer than we have to." Leviathan answered. "We'll go ourselves."

This made the student raise an eyebrow. "Um…we?"

"You know far more about this world than I do." The esper answered. "And since I cannot change into human form, I'll have to act through you."

The student began to sweat and blanched a bit before sighing. "Great… But how are we going to get there? I can't swim or breathe underwater…"

Leviathan paused at that, seeming to be hesitant about telling him the answer to that question. "…You'll find out in a moment. First, where are we going?"

Rex hesitated a bit, but then looked back to his notes and took up a piece of paper. After reading it a bit, he looked back to the esper.

"There's a guy who owns the largest single piece of Lunarite a ways from here in his private collection. We'll have to go to the Gold Saucer and meet this guy named Dio."

* * *

"Aw…come on! Not again!"

"I want to pet your ears!"

"You've done it for two hours already! And I can't stand it!"

"Hey, you think you could teach us magic too? It would help against those bad guys."

"Ow! Don't pull it!"

"Grar! I'm a behemoth! And I'm going to eat you!"

"Aw no…hey! Stay away from my tail! Ugh!"

Carbuncle soon took off, turning a corner and vanishing into the next room. Following right on his heels was Samoa, still doing his behemoth impersonation, and Simoa, who was hurt that her latest "fluffy friend" had taken off yet again. Crain looked the sorest of all. Denzel, from where he saw them, had to admit that he had the best thinking. He was sort of tempted to ask the esper himself. After all, couldn't they give powers to humans? At least, that was in Ragnar's old stories…

"…I hope the kids don't kill Carbuncle before we need his help."

Denzel turned back to the living room, and his eyes rested on Azure. He was watching along with his friend as the kids once again began to chase Carbuncle around the house, him griping and yelling the whole way. Apparently, he didn't appreciate being treated as a stuffed animal or a cartoon character. Azure's statement had only been half in jest. The creature had started it when Simoa commented on his cuteness (something he took with pride) before asking to pet him. Now they all demanded his attention, and thanks to his commission he could do little about it.

"Oh, they'll be fine. They're just playing." Marlene answered from her own seat across from the boys. Denzel looked to her, and saw that she seemed calm with all that was going on. "They need to get used to him anyway. And this is getting their minds off of what happened."

Azure furrowed his brow a moment later in response to Carbuncle's screaming. "Did he just say the 'f' word?"

Denzel only grimaced in response to Marlene's reassurances. Babysitting the kids could be quite a problem, and he wasn't that partial to it. It seemed Carbuncle thought like they did, and weren't that happy trying to cope with the kids' boundless energy. And besides…not all of them were reacting that way.

The silent fourth, the one who they still knew little to nothing of, save he was a Geomancer, was coloring away at the kitchen table by himself. He hadn't just refused to play with Carbuncle on seeing him. He almost…seemed unnerved on seeing him…

At any rate, they were being good. They seemed to have calmed down quite a bit after all that happened, and Denzel was grateful for that. And Marlene was right in one sense. It was good to get one's mind off of what was happening. After last night…Denzel had begun to realize just how bad the situation was, and how bad what had happened to his parents really was. He was having a hard time believing it still…but the thought that the next time they ran into each other that they might try and kill him… Even if that wasn't the case, they were slaves of that dark esper now. Not only that, but his fear that Diablos might impress them in his "army". The fear that someone else might kill them just to save themselves… It filled him with emotions that were a mixture of sadness and rage. He was trying his best to focus on the latter of the two emotions.

A clicking was heard from the kitchen. Denzel and the others looked over slightly, and saw that Shera had just hung up the phone. She turned to face the rest of them. Although they were already packed up and ready to go, Denzel, Azure, and Marlene were all seated. Shelke alone was standing against the wall, leaning against it with arms crossed and head up. That was strange. Denzel was getting tired again as it was, but he hadn't seen her sleep since she had woke up in Vincent's room.

"They're heading back to pick us up." Shera explained. "The refueling went quickly."

"We shouldn't stay here regardless." Shelke answered. "They know we're here. They'll send more."

"Where do we go?" Marlene asked.

"Back to the airfield sounds good to me." Denzel answered. "So we can get on the airship as soon as it lands."

"They're probably expecting something like that." Azure answered. "They want us to charge out for the airship as soon as it arrives, then they'll attack. Why don't we go somewhere nearby instead? See if they try to make a move when the _Excalibur_ arrives?"

Shera indicated in a direction, although from inside the house they could see little. "There's a small diner just outside of the main airport. It was built trying to hit the passengers that come through. You can see most of the airfield from there."

"Then let's go." Shelke answered. "They seem to attack us less when we're on the move than when we stop somewhere…"

* * *

Given the new shape that the interior of the base was taking, it was little surprise that a loud noise would have a large, resounding echo throughout the chamber. Nevertheless, had there been more people to possess enough free will to realize the gravity of certain moves, they most certainly would have shrank back at the sound of a rather mighty strike ringing out.

As it was, the one nearest Diablos' throne, Siren, shrank a little, and flashed her teeth in annoyance momentarily. When she looked back, she was just in time to see Cerberus smash against the ground and slide away.

"Three heads and you haven't a single brain between them." Diablos' cold voice sneered as he descended his position to follow after the esper. His hand, the flesh now rather pale and somewhat more serrated around the edges, was still balled into a fist. A bit more of the skin had flaked off on striking Cerberus. "You had to banter, didn't you? You could have torn the house in half and grabbed the children, but no… And you dared to come back like this?"

Cerberus let out a bit of a canine whine as he slowly turned his body over and got onto his paws. A moment later, and the heads were slowly lifting back up, but soon after they shrank back as the ears slicked backward on all three heads. Diablos was standing over him now, and he was reacting with fear. However, as he spoke, Siren still detected the anger as well as fear on his voice.

_"It wasn't my fault! They had brought back espers! Four of them!"_

"Then you should have lived up to your boasting and used your speed against them!" Diablos snapped back. "This army…this fortress…all of our plans…they are nothing compared to the importance of gaining those children!"

"I'm starting to wonder just why you need those children anyway." Siren spoke up from her location. She garnered a look from Diablos in response. She was still unnerved just to look at him, and so, in an attempt to look casual, she turned her eyes to her nails and pretended to study them for some blemish or dirt. "Or why we don't just kill them. Do you really think those two could be a threat? Or give us any resistance in the near future? Or that you can drain any reasonable amounts of energy from them?"

Diablos paused momentarily, but then tilted his head and answered. "…Be that as it may, the history of this world is marked with times in which small problems were left unintended and in the end caused a downfall. You, as an esper, should understand that better than anyone."

Siren crossed her arms and snorted. She said no more. Nevertheless…somehow she felt that answer wasn't entirely accurate…

"At any rate, I won't stand for any further delays." Diablos answered, turning back to Cerberus. However, he didn't focus on him but beyond to the back. After that, a bit to their surprise, he began to walk toward it. "I'll retrieve them myself."

Cerberus and Siren alike looked up at him.

_"…Alone?"_ Cerberus asked.

"You've already failed once. There's no need for you to embarrass yourself further." Diablos retorted without looking back. "Doomtrain will transport me, but other than that I require no one."

"Cerberus has a point." Siren maintained, leaning up and looking after him. "Four espers on one? That's hard except against our lords like Leviathan and Bahamut."

"And you think I am their inferiors in any way?" Diablos nearly sneered back, his voice so cold that both other espers shrank in response. "Besides…" He continued in a calm voice. "I've been feeding off the power of the two Cetra and the ones who have died since we began. I'm far stronger than I was initially at this point. They will be no match for me."

With that, he continued to walk out, until he was vanishing through the darkness in the hallway beyond. Cerberus slowly picked himself up, and Siren stared on. However…both of them were a bit unsettled at what Diablos had just said. He was already stronger than he was before? And now he had this army, this temple, and his power and influence was continuing to expand.

It made them both think…exactly how much longer would they be "necessary"?

* * *

Denzel had to admit…those pancakes looked pretty good. He was sure they weren't nearly as good as mom's, but they had to be better than sandwiches and bagels… He almost caught himself inching his fingers toward Crain's plate, moving to steal a cut-up section…

_Clink._

The sudden sound accompanied by a hand materializing in front of the youth, setting down a glass with a soft drink in it, caused Denzel to practically leap and snap around. He was just in time to see the waitress set down Azure's refill nearby. Marlene was already sipping away at her refilled iced tea. Out of instinct, he offered a sheepish grin for gratitude. The waitress eyed him a bit strangely, as she hadn't even noted that he was about to stoop to the point of stealing a bite of his kid brother's pancakes. At any rate, she soon turned and walked away.

Denzel turned back to the others and relaxed a bit. They were a rather odd group to crowd into an average diner. Shera and the four kids had taken a table, and they were having their breakfast. As for the four other "older kids" (although Denzel wasn't sure just how old or young Shelke was), they were in a booth nearby like teenagers in a clic. Pressed somewhat against the wall and against Marlene was Carbuncle, not too happy that he had to stay mostly out of sight. Denzel and Azure had opted for soda and Marlene for iced tea. Surprisingly, Shelke had taken coffee…and she hadn't touched hers in fifteen minutes. Denzel began to realize he hadn't seen her eat at all since they met…

What she had been doing was drawing on the back of a child's menu with a pen obtained from the counter. She had been at it for some time, and from the best Denzel could tell she was generating some sort of diagram. In the meantime, he was looking around the diner. There weren't many people in. Aside from the waitress and the cook in the back, there were only a couple of old guys talking about a major sports game, a large airport worker, and a single commuter that looked preoccupied with some sort of PDA. None of them had red eyes, and it didn't look as if they were calling anyone in either. So that gave Denzel some relief. Part of it was likely the daylight as well, however. It was bright and streaming in through the front windows. Until now, most of the bad things had happened in dark situations, at least what happened to him. He almost wondered if that had something to do with how they worked…

"Alright."

Shelke's sudden voice made the boy turn back to the table yet again, as Shelke turned around the diagram and showed it to them. It was a bit odd. He supposed she still unsettled him, but after everything that had happened, all the stories they had swapped, and what else was at stake…he realized he had mellowed out considerably. Then again…maybe it was because of her. He realized that she seemed to be far more cooperative and open now…even if she still had the same monotone voice. At any rate, he cut off this train of thought as she started to speak.

"Deepground is practically labyrinthine in terms of number of passages, turns, and routes. It's generations of old construction added onto and extended time and time again. The destruction from the mako eruption and our own modifications only made it more confusing. That said…there is no corner unaccounted for in the entire complex. Every entrance is known. Every bulkhead, every ventilation duct, every sewer entry…everything. In the past, we were short on manpower to guard all the entrances. By now, Diablos must have more than enough personnel to accomplish the task."

Denzel gave a shrug in response. "So…you know of a secret way in though, right?"

Shelke looked to him plainly. "…Obviously you weren't listening the first time. _Every_ entrance is known. There isn't a hole larger than the size of a fist that isn't logged in the system. Anyone who fully investigated could find and monitor every way in and out."

The youth frowned. Some of his old animosity came back when Shelke answered him so brusquely.

"So how can we get in?" Azure asked in response, staying on task. "Diablos wouldn't even need to use the system. He already has all the knowledge of your leader and the other DeepGround members who died since then."

"That's where there's one flaw we might be able to exploit." Shelke answered. "The entrances are far too numerous for any one person to have complete knowledge of. That's why the database was linked to me in data drive mode and I was able to access them all and monitor them all roughly simultaneously. As a result, I believe I am the only one who actually had knowledge of all of the entrances at the point when Diablos took over Weiss the Immaculate. He may have accessed the system since then, but I don't believe he could have covered them all, especially some of the more hazardous ones."

"I don't like the way you said that…" Denzel answered with a grimace.

Shelke ignored this and indicated a portion of the diagram, which now appeared to be a rough, overhead map of the Midgar area. "If we were dropped by airship, we could get as close as the Train Graveyard in former Sector Five. If at the right spot, we'd only be a sixth of a kilometer from an old emergency safety vent. It will be a tight squeeze for an entire kilometer."

Denzel let out a snort. "Don't worry…Marlene and I have done this sort of thing before…"

Shelke didn't react to that, but kept going. "A connection to the larger sewers is at the end. From there, we move through…" She traced her finger as she did this. "For about four kilometers toward the city center's old water treatment plant. Once we reach that point, we exit again and cut across in an arc for about two hundred meters. If we can make it that far, we'll be at a maintenance service opening. We'll drop down about 300 feet underground in a vertical shaft. We can exit from there into the main of Deepground at a military corridor. If we can somehow make it that far and move another 300 meters along a certain path, we'll be at one of the special service elevators. If the code isn't changed, I will be able to access it to get us to the lab. If it is changed, then I will need one minute and fourteen seconds to hack the system and do the same task. In case you were wondering, anything greater than four seconds, to a DeepGround soldier, is considered an eternity."

The other three only could offer grim looks in response.

"The lab is where I stored my samples." Shelke continued. "The essence should be with them."

"But couldn't have Diablos moved them?" Azure asked. "It doesn't seem like he'd keep them there…"

"More than likely." Shelke answered. "However, I would have no knowledge of where they had been placed. Wherever that point may be is likely closer to Diablos, troops, or one of the other espers, in which case we would not be able to retrieve them anyway. So if we didn't find them there, then we would need to escape at that point anyway without them."

Denzel frowned at that.

"How do we escape?" Marlene asked.

"Oh, that part's easy." Carbuncle suddenly piped up, causing the others to grow rather nervous in response. A talking cat/rabbit/rodent wasn't exactly conventional. They had already garnered plenty of stares from his appearance. Marlene had soon wheeled on him and put a hand over his nigh invisible mouth.

"Sssh! Keep it down!"

"Hey, leggo!" The esper protested, first loud at full volume, which only made Marlene clamp down on him harder. He struggled for a moment beneath it, but in the end finally managed to wriggle his body free. Snorting, he looked back to the others indignantly. "Like I was saying…" He started in a whisper. "Leave it to me. It's easy for me to warp to a place I've been to before. Only problem is range. I can only get us to that Train Graveyard, based on the distances I'm hearing."

"Then they will have to pick us up as soon as possible from there. That means they will likely have to take some hits from anti-aircraft artillery." Shelke responded.

Carbuncle merely scratched his head. "Why do you guys throw around these big words so much? You trying to speak in a code or something?"

"This trip will not be uneventful or quiet by any means." Shelke went on. "Not unless we're unnaturally and impossibly lucky. By now, Diablos must have enough personnel to patrol the Train Graveyard. The military corridor will likely be filled, and 300 meters might as well be 300 kilometers. Every automated security device and soldier will be after us within less than thirty seconds on being spotted and reported. Therefore…killing any soldiers that see us immediately is of utmost importance."

Everyone, even the esper, shifted a bit on hearing that part.

"In addition to regular troops and automated weapons, DeepGround has 'encouraged' the local fauna to breed and mutate to provide natural defenses. No where will they be more prevalent than in the sewers. As for our way in, it too is known. It is simply not guarded due to being too thin for anyone to move through on their knees single file. We will have to practically wriggle through it. Even so, it is coded and filled with four Red Saucer drones. We will have to dispatch them somehow."

"Are you sure this is the easiest way in?" Denzel asked incredulously.

"There is no 'easy' way into DeepGround. But this is the path of least resistance, yes." Shelke answered. "If you don't like it, you can come up with your own plan."

The youth once again frowned, but didn't respond.

"We'll just have to make do." Azure answered for him. He turned his head toward the wall to notice the clock, then looked back. "So…do we have to make a run for the airfield?"

"I think I heard Shera say that they'd be coming right here to pick us up." Marlene added. She gave a shrug soon after. "It's a bit weird, but compared to what's going on…"

"So who will all be going, anyway?" Denzel asked.

"I will, of course." Carbuncle piped up.

"And I have to guide you." Shelke answered. "We should probably leave it at that."

Denzel glared at her. "Excuse me?"

"You and your surrogate brother have some skill, but you lack far too much experience."

"Hey, we saved your ass back at Kalm! How's that for no experience!" Denzel protested.

"Denzel, language!" Marlene protested. "You've been swearing too much lately!"

"I've got a good reason to, don't I?" The boy protested, although he sulked a bit and backed down after saying this.

Azure let out a bit of a sigh. However, as he did so, the glare of the sun suddenly died back from outside of the window nearby. It was so sudden that it got the attention of the others, and they turned to look outside as it took place. Azure himself spoke up a moment later, seeming to get an idea from this.

"Looks like they're here…" He said, reasoning that the change had to be from the airship moving in front of the sun. "Good. I'm getting nervous the longer we're here."

Denzel himself looked up and out in response, expecting to see the frame of the _Excalibur_ descending from the heavens.

Unfortunately…he soon saw something else.

First of all…it continued to get darker. It wasn't just mere shade. The light around the sun seemed to be blotting out, as if a much larger cloud was moving in front of it and getting out the rest of the light. It was starting to get closer to what you would see at evening or night. As a result, they weren't the only ones looking out the window. Soon more people were following suit, including the cook and waitress, who were closer toward the back yet still able to pick up on the change. Yet as Denzel looked past the just exterior and more outside, he began to see something else…

There were clouds gathering outside. But they weren't just off the horizon or small and thin. They were thick and strong…and they seemed to be streaming forward toward the sun itself. They almost appeared to be gathering to form a large blot over it, as if to try and snuff it out from the sky. And they were doing so from all sides, seeming to converge on that point.

By now, everyone in the diner had dropped what they were doing and turned full attention to the outdoors. That included Shera and the kids nearby. All of them, save for the silent one, looked at the sky with growing fear. They knew that this wasn't natural. Denzel himself might not have had much of a background in meteorology, but he knew that this wasn't a regular weather phenomenon either. Something bad had caught up to them…and it was coming soon.

He turned to the others in a flash. "…We need to get out of here."

The other three looked back to him and readily nodded. There wasn't any hesitation. Quickly, Denzel scooted back and stepped out from the booth. The others quickly began to follow, and in moments they were all out, with Carbuncle, seeming to not care anymore whether he drew attention or not, leaping behind. By then, the youth was already headed for his brother…

And that's when it happened.

Every window in the room shattered and the earth shook with enough power to knock down most of the furniture and people in the room as most of the central portion of the diner was annihilated. The sky finished turning completely dark as night as some form of shadow shot down, ripping open the ceiling and the wall to bash its way into the building. Debris was thrown everywhere as the light in the room seemed to grow dim, and all things seemed to grow colder and stiller. But that was hardly noticeable by the group as they were thrown away from the source of the impact, each one of them flung to the ground along with their table and chairs. Denzel himself was thrown by an invisible force down over the body of his younger brother. He managed to avoid crushing him under his own weight, but he did force him down as well. Glass and bits of construction materials blew over their heads as the chaos unfolded. Somewhere in the midst of the din resulting from the terrific damage came the sound of the two old men screaming one final time. The damage had been directed in their area, and on arrival both of them had been crushed by the ceiling as whatever figure on top of it smashed down.

Denzel, though in pain, was getting used to being thrown around by the entrance of large monsters. He pushed himself off of Crain and looked back toward the source of the damage. What he saw seemed to dip within him and drain away at his bravery and confidence…and even feeling the cast off air from it seemed to make his skin numb and fill him with thoughts of darkness and despair. Most of the lights in the room were out now, but what few were left, against the black sky outside, illuminated something unworldly and ghastly.

It initially appeared to just be some sort of multi-angled, twisted, shroud of living darkness, wrapped around some form in the center. It looked to be both a ragged cape as well as some sort of hideous, twisted, winged demon creature. It seemed to have infinite forms and no forms at once as it swirled around. It lasted only a moment, then it seemed to stretch back and part as it seeped back into what looked like two very large, bat-like, and infernal wings that were colored with both night and blood. What began to come out from this shadow was something pale and white, the color of dead…perhaps rotting…flesh. That seemed appropriate, because Denzel soon began to catch a whiff of the scent of rot coming off from it. He could make out what it was supposed to be…at least, he thought he could. It looked like a muscular form of some sort of man with pale silver hair. It wasn't Sephiroth, but it was something large and powerful just the same. And yet…it looked almost as if this body was clothing…clothing for something with red and black scales beneath bulging out at certain points. Based on its shape, it had to be some sort of twisted, hideous demon. It was bursting forth from the flesh in certain points, especially to make horns, claws, and edges of its scales. And everywhere it burst…the flesh was turning black and rotten around the edges. Whatever choice of "clothing" it had made, it was rapidly rotting and falling apart…

The figure was crouched on landing, but quickly rose to full height. And as it did, the wings swept over it and appeared to hook to form some sort of cape. It turned its full attention to the group on the ground, ignoring everyone else in the room. Its eyes were as red as blood too…and even though they didn't focus directly on him, even seeing the gaze look somewhat at him…it filled Denzel with old fears. Memories of being on the street…memories of being manipulated by Jenova…memories of his friend being tortured… It was horrible. It was only because Denzel had a stronger spirit than perhaps even he realized that he was able to shake it off enough to focus harder at the thing…and knew what it was.

"…Diablos."

The thing didn't react. It didn't even look to him. Its focus was totally on two figures who were now completely helpless and immobilized… The twins. Marlene was nearest them, and was also stricken with fear. But she tried to reach out and put her arms on them to protect them as weakly as she could. They themselves weren't even crying. They were just lying as still as death itself, staring back at the monster.

After a bit of a pause…Denzel finally managed to get enough strength to look away from it and to the ground. There, a short distance away, lying along with other discarded, blasted items, was his sword. He reached out for it, though he kept an arm on Crain. Azure himself quickly summoned his weapon. Shelke could do nothing but try to get to her feet, and she did so. Crain himself tightened, but didn't do much else. The mute child remained as still as the others…although, though none of them looked, he alone seemed to be the only one unaffected. Shera herself was trying to think of something to do, although she also couldn't bear to look away from it for a moment. Carbuncle himself was hiding behind everyone else…and although they couldn't hear this or know it, he was calling for the others as quickly as possible.

Diablos turned his whole body toward them. His face was expressionless and grim.

"Talk is cheap." He flatly stated in a voice so cold and stunning that it made all of them slow in their behaviors. "Let's simply be done with this."

With that, he held up a single hand, extended two fingers, split them apart so that one cruel talon was aimed at either twin, and then fired off something. Denzel was barely able to see what it was, but managed to turn his head and pick up on two black orbs coming out. They were almost like projectiles rather than energy attacks. Other than that…he only noted that they were extremely black and dark…even more so than the fiend before them. The orbs both shot through the air at the speed of bullets…and imbedded into the respective chests of both twins.

Instantly, everyone looked to them both. Marlene's eyes went wide in shock as she felt both twins suddenly stiffen in her grasp, spasming for a moment. She looked down to both helplessly for a brief second as they did this…before both went totally limp and lifeless in her grasp. Their eyes shut, and, to her fear as well as everyone else's, their flesh instantly went pale and cold. Their breathing ceased all together. The girl gasped as Denzel himself gaped at what happened. They looked dead…

Marlene did begin to feel for a pulse soon after, but Denzel had already looked away again. Now, he was staring back at Diablos, and his face was tight with anger, overriding his fear. The dark esper didn't seem to be reacting, and had put his hands down and began approaching the twins and the older girl. Denzel fumed, and forgot about Crain for the moment. Instead, his hand clenched his sword hilt and yanked the blade free. He rose to his feet and aimed it in front. Face twisted into a sneer, he immediately took off straight for him. He wasn't alone. By now, Azure himself was on his feet, and with his own sword drawn. He too angled forward and ran for the esper.

In response, Diablos didn't even avert his gaze from his target. He simply raised his hand again, extended his fingers, and appeared to generate what had to be a dozen streaks of black lightning. The writhed and coiled through the air like nightmarish snakes, but they didn't go completely random. Half of them shot for Denzel, and the other half for Azure. The connected against their bodies in various points moments later, while they were still running up to fight.

Immediately, Denzel's eyes opened wide again and his mouth opened to scream. But it was too late. As the black energy penetrated him, it made his entire body go rigid as it overrode his systems with horrible, sharp, biting pain. Yet it wasn't so sharp as to be from some sort of shock. It was almost like a numbing jolt…like what happens when one's nerves are struck, only far worse. And the rigidness wasn't so much from muscles being locked up as something different…as if all of his muscles were frozen from lack of energy…like rigor mortis. The air was sucked out from his lungs, and his heart almost seemed to freeze. For a moment…it was as if he had been rendered dead himself…

Yet that only lasted until the youth passed out. After that, both he and Azure, now the same as him, were violently flung away into the nearest walls. Their force was strong enough to smash whatever objects were in their way, wrenching their own bodies painfully in the process, and then let them fall.

* * *

"Leave my brother alone!"

Marlene's fears had been confirmed. She felt nothing when she reached to the necks of either twin. However, her latest horrors were only compounded when not only did she see Denzel and Azure easily beaten, but she looked up and saw that Crain had not taken his easy defeat in stride. Now, the boy was shooting to his feet and looking to fight too. Without so much as a weapon, he was already running toward the still-approaching Diablos.

"Crain, no!" She called out.

Yet it was too late. Again, the monster lashed out with that black lightning. The boy was ripped into the air off of his feet, and soon went as rigid and agonized as the ones before him. Without mercy, Diablos flung him upward, smashing his entire small body against the ceiling before letting it fall.

That was too much. Releasing the children, Marlene quickly began to get to her feet as well. "Stop it!" She yelled at the fiend. "He's just a-"

That was all she got out before Diablos, without warning or pity, aimed his palm at her and unleashed a wave of black, sizzling energy. It struck the girl straight in the chest. She had time to scream this time, before she was thrown back and literally blasted out through the doorway of the diner. Within the span of a few seconds, four of them had been struck down without Diablos so much as batting an eye.

All who were left was Shelke, Shera, and the remaining boy, still stoic and unresponsive. He showed only the slightest bit of reaction to the others being beaten, but for the most part stayed calm. Shera, stricken with panic and with little left to do, rushed over to the remaining boy in an attempt at protection. As for Shelke, she was immobilized. Even seeing him like this reawakened all of her earlier fears, almost reducing her to the same helpless state she was in before. Most of all…seeing him now…she thought of her older sister. She thought of her being in pain…dying…losing herself into black abyss in order to evoke Shiva… Because of that, she was frozen almost until he was on them. Even when she could react, she was far too slow. It was only with great hesitation that she began to rise.

The one hand lowered, and the other hand raised. Out came the black lightning again, and this time…it wrapped around the woman's throat. It immediately made her go limp, but seemed to leave her face mobile, allowing it to transform into a look of genuine emotion…pure fear. As the rest of her body began to go as pale as that of the children, she was yanked off of the ground and into the air. Only here did Diablos pause, and turn to stare at her with his blood-red eyes.

"I gave you the chance of being my human counterpart…then I gave you a chance at life aiding me unwillingly… You spurned both." Diablos growled at her. "Now I'll make the fear within you swell until it crushes the life out of you completely and in the most painful way imaginable…"

Shelke couldn't react. Her body was already rendered limp. She could only glare back helplessly as Diablos began to raise his other hand…

"Hold it, Mildew Man!"

Diablos' crest seemed to shift, as if he was tilting his attention to this. Immediately, his red eyes turned away and looked in front of him, in the last remaining bit of space between him and the twins. His gaze soon looked down, and rested on a small green creature, splayed out with fur raising up on its back and eyes narrowing on him, like some sort of odd feline.

Giving a snort, he lowered his raising hand. Shelke went flying from his grasp and over the counter, far back into the kitchen where the resulting smashing sound must have represented her colliding with something. Both arms lowered, and he turned fully to the creature before him.

"What have we here?" He asked. "A rodent esper?"

Carbuncle's face twisted in indignation as best it could. "The name's Carbuncle! And I'm going to be the one who mops the floor with your ugly face! Not that anyone will know the difference after I'm done with you…"

"Hmph." Diablos answered. "Stand aside, rat. It would be an insult to even expend the fraction of the energy needed to kill you."

"Then how's about saving some for me!"

Diablos' eyes raised slightly, but he didn't turn them. Yet Carbuncle managed to grin somewhere in his mostly expressionless face. Behind him, the rest of the cavalry had arrived. Staring in from the hole that had been blasted into the side of the diner was the other three, each one of them charging up their firepower and getting ready to blast at the monster. Ifrit himself was in the center, arms charging power. He had been the one who had announced the challenge. As for Shiva and Quetzacoatl, they were nearby, gazes locked onto the demon but not letting loose just yet.

"We're all ready to fire on you." Shiva announced.

"I don't think you can take us all together." Quetzacoatl answered.

"So let the kids go before we make you lose a bit more of that flesh overcoat you're wearing." Carbuncle challenged.

Diablos' eyes very slowly went to his socket corners, as if he was looking behind him. However, he never turned, and there was no way he could have seen the foes that had taken their spots behind him. But now, four espers were shining forth their own lights to pierce into his darkness, interrupting the power he was exerting over the area. And each of them was ready to fire at a second's notice. The monster looked into the other corner, but then turned his eyes forward, not looking at Carbuncle but looking straight ahead. He was silent. Only the sounds of energy burning from each of the four made any sound.

Finally…he let out a chuckle.

"…How pathetic."

It happened in a matter of seconds.

Diablos' wings unfurled. They spread out through the surrounding air, making him suddenly seem much larger and more powerful, and extending the power of his darkness to appear and dim all else around him once again. What wasn't seen, however, was the fact that he took off slightly at this, raising his body just a few precious feet off the ground. The wings absorbed everyone's attention. The moment they unfurled, something came from them. Black bits of energy, molded into shapes, much as his previous cloak of darkness had been. This time, however, they separated from him and moved throughout the area, spreading around him and immediately encircling him.

Bats.

Reacting immediately, the three espers behind Diablos fired as Carbuncle threw up his energy shield. A bolt of electricity, a pillar of fire, and a beam of ice all shot forth to strike the fiend from three different angles. But even in the time it took the weapons to come out, the bats continued to issue forth, and in an instant had surrounded Diablos' body in a swarm of the dark beings. The beams connected a second later…but never came within more than a foot of Diablos. They struck the bats instead…and each attack was immediately consumed. They didn't even destroy the black creatures, but instead seemed to have their powers devoured by them, as if sinking into an oblivion of dark matter. And in doing so, the monster generated even more bats, thickening the swarm around him until he was practically lost in a mass of the beings. They continued to hold as the three fired, letting them get out their full power in a vain attempt to hurt him. And they did pour it on. They focused all of the strength they could muster in such a short period of time into hitting him. But for all it did…it was nothing compared to his own power.

Despite their straining, and Ifrit's anger, they were forced to cut off at last. In another moment, they would have fled, trying to get clear for a new attack or at least to make more targets.

That moment never came.

Instantly, the bats froze in midair, shifted shape to go from being creatures into becoming long, cruel, black blades…and shot forth in four different directions, one for each esper.

Again, there was no time to scream. Each esper felt twenty of the black blades strike them at once, with more quickly following. They all went rigid and twisted into agony, but were unable to do anything else. In a flash, each of their lights was swallowed up into the darkness, and they grew as pale and dull as everything else. Their energy was instantly consumed. More blades followed the initial wave, until they were almost covered with the piercing objects. Even Carbuncle, who had thrown up an energy shield…saw it totally negated as the blades passed right through it to pierce him as well. In instants, the blackness was once again the only power in the area.

Diablos let them be pierced for a moment, before letting out another snicker, this one more bored than powerful, and made a cutting motion with his hand. Immediately, the blades yanked out, not leaving any visible physical damage, though letting their victims fall lifelessly to the ground. Now, with no opposition left, save for Shera staring blankly at him while trying to shield the remaining child, Diablos looked back to his original targets. Again, he swished his fingers at them, and as a result, the blades morphed again into bats, came forward, and began to flutter around them instead. Soon, the swarm was gathered around their two limp bodies instead. One by one, they began to alight on the two children. As the swarm continued to churn, their own forms slowly vanished into darkness as well. Once they had completely faded, the swarm lifted and rushed back, splitting in two and running back into Diablos' wings. A few moments later, and they had vanished once again into the blackness of his own skin, and again there was nothing left but Diablos and his wings. However, there was a change now. The twins had vanished into him as well.

The monster swept his wings over his body again and locked into a cape once more.

"Your pitiful, meaningless powers over elements are nothing compared to the powers of millennia of death, hate, and rage." Diablos flatly announced. "You are alive simply so that your hate and anguish against me can grow larger...and thereby create more power for me to consume when I do destroy you. Next time, my powers will be much greater. You will either become my slaves or become my food."

With that, Diablos raised his hand to the ceiling and fired off another wave of energy. Another hole was punched into the diner. This time, everyone in the neighborhood who had begun to gather around the diner, seeing the incidents that were now beginning to occur around it, screamed and ran as the entire roof blew up. As debris was scattered everywhere, the sky above Diablos was completely exposed. Without extending his wings again, he simply raised into the sky, to hover out over it once again. Once he had done so, he waited only a few moments more…before the same shape that had shot past and taken up Cerberus only a few hours ago streaked across the sky again, once again telegraphing its presence with red flames. Diablos vanished into it as it tore by, and soon it too was leaving as well, fading off into the horizon.

As these horrors left, the clouds blotting out the sun seemed to have been released, as if only some sort of cosmic hand had been holding them there before. Now they parted and moved off again, not only dispersing but becoming fainter once more. Soon, most of them began to vanish all together, and light was once again allowed to spill down on the world below. The morning sun soon left its image again, dispersing all of the darkness and gloom that had been left. Everything began to grow livid and vibrant in shape and appearance again.

In a few moments, the only sign that there had ever been anything chaotic there at all was the ruins of the diner, and the forms, both human and non-human, strewn around it. Unlike the rest of the world, they too began to lay deathly still and motionless for a while to come.

It wasn't until ten minutes later, when the _Excalibur_ did begin to close on their location, that they began to awaken again.

* * *

"Come on, runt human. On your feet."

Denzel's senses were barely beginning to come back when he felt a rather powerful, vise-like grip seize him by the arm and yank him to his feet. Immediately, what bearings had been restored to him were thrown for a loop, and he dizzily staggered in place, his head swimming and neither his eyes nor his hearing working properly. He felt like he was wandering in some sort of black fog. Yet two large and powerful grips soon planted on his shoulders and held him steady. And after that happened, he slowly felt things come back into focus. In addition, he felt strength slowly flow back into his legs. They locked underneath him as his muscles slowly tightened up.

The youth, still dazzled, managed to look up into the face of the one holding him up. As his eyes cleared…he began to feel heat bearing down on him. It was as if he was next to a bonfire. And the form that began to take shape in front of him was that of large, long, drool covered teeth in a canine mouth. Right above it, fierce fiery eyes glared at him from beneath a flaming mane on bronzed skin.

Snapping out of it, Denzel's senses came back in a flash with the rest of his strength. Instinctively, he leapt back away from the ravenous grimace, tearing himself out from under the grip of its hands. But after he had moved away a short distance, the rest of his memory came back as well. Terrible and ferocious as the face was, which now turned into a look of irritation as it let out a snarl, he realized it wasn't unfamiliar. It was the face of the fire esper.

"Well, hello to you too." It snorted. "Next time I'll just leave you lying on the ground."

"Ugh…don't blame him, Ifrit… I'd do the same thing if I woke up to your face…" Carbuncle's voice groaned tiredly.

Ifrit snapped his head with a growl to the side. Denzel followed it as well, and soon began to get an idea of their surroundings. They were still there in the diner…or what was left of it. Whoever hadn't been killed by Diablos' assault had fled now. The structure looked moments from falling over. The ceiling was gone along with one of the walls. And now, the espers had entered it. They were milling about the remaining people, helping them up. The others were already standing. Most of them looked a bit bruised and bloody. Shelke herself was dabbing at the back of her head with a napkin set that she had found, and it was coming off red. Marlene still seemed to be getting her bearings, and was being steadied by Shiva. But by now, sore as they looked, they were all standing again.

Denzel did notice something else rather quickly. Crain was already up too. And when Denzel had reacted to Ifrit, he turned around to him. The older boy got a look at his face…and saw that it was streaked with tears. Soon after, he took off for him. Before the youth could react, Crain had wrapped his arms around his waist and put his head against his stomach, beginning to cry again. Denzel was struck for a moment with confusion, frozen in response to this sudden act. Yet as his arms slowly and instinctively lowered down on top of the boy…he began to realize that they were indeed missing some people. Two, in particular. He also noticed for the first time that Azure was standing somewhat farther away with his arms crossed and his back to the others, a dark look of failure on his face.

Soon, the boy began to feel the same sensation of fear and sadness flow into him.

_He took them…_

"Bastard…" Ifrit growled, but not to Carbuncle this time. He had turned away from Denzel and was pacing about among the debris and drywall covering the floor of the ex-diner, brooding and singing it all the way. "Why didn't he just finish us off?"

"Who cares? Just be glad he didn't." Quetzacoatl spoke up from her location. She was perched on the remains of the main diner counter, hunched over Shera, who still looked rather shaken up and frazzled, and the remaining other boy.

"Mmm…" A low moan came from nearby, directing everyone's attention back to the center. Even Azure turned around at this and looked back. The sound came from Marlene, who was rubbing her head and shaking it somewhat. A moment later, however, and her eyes fluttered and opened. She looked out in front of herself again, scanning the area before her.

"…Samoa…Simoa…" She said aloud, before her eyes flew open the rest of the way. She seemed to realize they were gone, and immediately looked up to Shiva with fear in her eyes. "The twins! Where are they?"

That removed all doubt in Denzel's mind. With a grimace, he turned his head down…but in response only found Crain there, still clinging to him and crying. The other espers soon looked down as well, and they too formed appearances of defeat. Azure himself looked away and formed his grim look again. It was only then when Shera, dark as most of them were, turned her head slowly to Marlene and confirmed it.

"…He took them."

Marlene stared at her for a moment as this sunk in. As for the others, they stayed silent, letting the dark fact once again settle on each of them. Denzel himself narrowed his eyes, thinking about his own vain attempt to attack Diablos. Even if his move hadn't been reckless, he realized it wouldn't have mattered. The dark esper had struck him down without expending more than the tiniest amount of effort. He had been totally useless…unable to do a thing to save them…

"…I hate him…"

The voice that said this was unexpectedly young and laced with emotion. Denzel also realized it was very close by. He looked up, and saw that Crain had already pushed off from him. His hands were balled into fists and his head was turned to the ground, where his eyes glared. His cheeks were still stained with tears, but he could tell the boy was enraged.

"Everything bad that's happened is because of him!" He yelled. "He's taken everyone! Mom! Dad! Aunt Aerith! Uncle Ragnar! Samoa! Simoa! I wish he would die! I hate him more than anything else in the world!"

Denzel swallowed back a bit. This scene was all too familiar to him… There had been a time when he was in the same position. And right now, he didn't know what to say. But before anything could come to mind, Crain snapped around and looked to everyone.

"Can't you guys stop him?" He shouted. "Can't you kill him? Uncle Ragnar said you were all supposed be strong and magical! Why can't you stop him then? Why couldn't you stop him from hurting my brothers? Why couldn't you save Samoa and Simoa?"

"Crain…" Marlene began to speak up in response. "Don't…"

"…He's right, you know."

Again, attention was diverted. The espers, who hadn't responded to Crain, and had only looked more downcast in response, now looked up to the new speaker. This time, they found themselves staring at Shiva. Her own arms were crossed as she kept her head down.

"We did fail. That was our chance to stop him and change things, and we didn't. The only answer I can give is that we are not strong enough. Now his plans will come to fruition, because of our inability. We could have ended it right here, and we did not. And there is no true excuse for that. We should have been more prepared or wiser, because there was nothing else standing in his way. No other chances. So indeed...it is our fault."

The room was silent for a moment. Denzel, Marlene, and Shera looked around to the espers momentarily, and saw that they only seemed to grow darker and grimmer, keeping their heads bowed and appearing more depressed all the time. However, Shelke and Azure, surprisingly, only kept their own dark stares out into space. They didn't seem puzzled by this at all. Denzel was confused for a moment…but then slowly began to realize why.

Shera didn't, however, and began to voice in response. "Now, don't blame yourselves…" She began, looking around to all of them. "You tried to fight him as best as you could. You just couldn't stop him. He was too strong. There wasn't anything any of you could have done…"

Unfortunately, Denzel realized that wasn't true now. Perhaps Shera did as well as she trailed off. He had forgotten. There was one option left…one they didn't use. Diablos needed to take the children with him. According to Leviathan, they had to be in a state of "living death". If he killed them, then their spirits would return to the Lifestream, and they'd be useless. They had to be somewhere between living and dead for him to have sole use of their powers.

If they had killed them…then Diablos could have never gotten use of their abilities.

It was a grim and dark thought that Denzel began to realize. It was something that didn't bide with him, and he doubted he had the resolve to carry out himself. But now, he began to realize just what Vincent and Shelke had tried to warn him about. About the price of victory…one that he knew now he himself would not have been willing to pay, regardless of the consequences. Apparently, the espers hadn't been willing to do so either. And now, they may have doomed the world by doing so. This was what Shiva truly meant by being not "strong enough". This was what truly made the espers unhappy now. And now…Denzel didn't know whether to be disappointed in them as well or be happy that they had held back. After all…what had they truly gained by holding back? Anything? What fate would befall them all now? Them and the rest of the world?

"Crain…"

Denzel's words got the boy's attention. He turned back and looked up anxiously into Denzel's eyes. His own were still teary, but they had softened considerably to look back up to his older brother.

"…Don't be mad at them. We're as much to blame as them." He finally said. "…And they did try their best to save them. They really did. We just couldn't do it. If you're going to be mad…you should be mad at me too."

Crain looked back and blinked, obviously not fully understanding this. However, he did see his brother's face growing sad. He did hear the sincerity on his voice. And as a result, he too began to grow troubled. He forgot his earlier anger, and stepped forward. He hugged Denzel again, but this time it wasn't for his own benefit. It was for his.

"…I'm not mad, big brother…I just want you to stop him… I don't want him to take away Marlene, Azure, and you next…"

Feeling and hearing this, Denzel reacted as well. He raised his own arms and placed them on Crain's shoulders. Then, after a moment…his own grip slowly moved around to hug him back. "…No one's going to take me away from you, Crain. I'm your big brother. I'll look out for you. I won't leave you. I promise."

Denzel didn't see this…but Shelke looked away from him abruptly when she heard this. He didn't notice. He focused all on his brother at the moment. The two continued to hug in silence for a short time. None of the others disturbed them. Not even Azure, although he could have come in as well. He only looked up to the both of them, and then sighed and looked down again, once again going into another line of thought. Denzel closed his eyes and just held on for a bit longer, trying to absorb the feeling for the moment…trying to assure him that what he said was true through his own touch.

"Ahem…"

This sound, coming from someone new and from outside the room, made Denzel open his eyes again. He looked up and outside, toward the large hole in the wall. Crain didn't. He continued to hold on for now. Marlene, Shera, and Shelke looked out too, but the others remained in their downcast positions, not seeming to care at the moment. Denzel soon saw who was speaking.

Standing in the former wall was Captain Mack, arms crossed and a bit testy.

"I don't mean to interrupt whatever's going on…but do you guys realize exactly where you are and what time of day it is?"

Denzel blinked and then, for the first time, turned his vision outside and began to look around. He hadn't really done so since the sky first turned black. However, the sun was back full force now. Not only that, but he could see through the hole and the ceiling that the _Excalibur_ was there, landed right in the middle of a parking lot and hovering at the ready. Yet that was rather minor compared to everything else.

No less than two hundred people were gathered around the building at this point. And they had police officers among them. For now, they were standing back, but they were armed and seeming to set up a perimeter. Though none of them had yet stepped forward, it was quite clear that all of them had to very easily be seeing the four espers and the humans inside. Any attempts at secrecy before now were blown away. The press was arriving on the scene and more people were stopping to look all the time. In fact, it had to be solely due to confusion and hesitation that Mack had to have managed to get close enough to them to actually speak to them. The officers must have been too nervous to come forward yet, especially after the earlier incidents in Midgar with Cerberus and Pandemona.

"I hope you guys all like your faces on television, by the way." Mack somewhat grumpily stated. "Because you're going to be on in about ten minutes. What are you all doing standing around here in the first place? Let's get out of here before the cops start shooting!"

"Shove it, human." Ifrit grouchily answered. For once, Shiva wasn't able to give him a cold look in response.

"What's the point?" Carbuncle asked from his own low position, ears sagging and crouched on the ground. "Diablos won. He got the twins. Now he has everyone on the Planet who has Cetra blood in them. We might as well find some rocks to hide under before this world becomes a living Hell…"

The unfortunate facet came back to Denzel, and made his spirits sink again. Indeed…it was fairly moot that he was trying to cheer up his younger brother. What was there to be happy about, after all? They had just lost. Yet in short order in response to what had just been said, Denzel was surprised to find Crain breaking off from him and turning back to the espers.

"Come on, you guys! You can't quit now!" He shouted at them. "You've got to save them! You've got to save my mom and dad and friends! You're the only ones who can help us! You've got to beat that monster and save the world!"

Quetzacoatl gave a sigh from her position. "I'm sorry, Crain…but we can't. Diablos has everyone with Cetra blood. He'll be all-powerful when we see him again. There's nothing we can do now except protect you…"

"Wait!"

This last cry was filled with optimism and hope, a sensation rather foreign to the others at this point. In response, everyone this time, including Shelke and Azure, looked up and over to who had yelled out. They found themselves staring at Marlene, who had suddenly gone livid and hopeful. She looked around to all of them with her eyes wide and enthusiastic.

"We haven't lost yet! Diablos doesn't have everyone with Cetra blood!"

The espers' faces immediately went to confused.

"Huh? He don't?" Ifrit asked.

"Who still remains?" Shiva followed up.

Azure himself, however, suddenly had a light of recognition go off in his own head. Immediately, his own dark look faded, and he smacked his palm against it. "Of course… Why didn't I think of that!"

"What are you talking about?" Denzel asked in response, looking over to him.

He looked back and leveled something of a critical glare at his brother. "Come on Denzel! You know who!"

"Spit it out, already!" Ifrit yelled in increasing irritation.

"Aerith's half-sister!" Marlene called back triumphantly. "Krystea!"

* * *

_To be continued..._


	22. Hellbound

They were still a bit away from the open side of the airship when Denzel managed to look past Mack's body and see a new arrival standing there; arms crossed, huffing, and looking rather unhappy. She was definitely a bit older than she had been back in the days of the war, but still had a lot of her spunk and attitude. And her face was rather unforgettable as well…

"There you are!" Yuffie yelled out at Mack as she approached. "What's the big idea, going out there and leaving me behind anyway? You know I'm the one to handle any action around here! You really know how to make someone feel unwanted, you know that? First you don't pick me up when I stay up all night waiting for you, then when you do get me you immediately take off full speed in order to make me as sick as possible, and then…-Hey!"

Mack had reached the doorway at that point, and, with a roll of his eyes and a sigh, pushed right by Yuffie literally. As a result, she was somewhat out of the doorway when the others started to follow in behind, but she didn't care. She was now staring at Mack's back, stamping her feet, balling her hands into fists at her sides, and twice as angry.

"Hey! I will not be ignored! You're the one who called me out on this trip in the first place!" She nearly screamed at him. She was so busy doing so that Denzel and the others were able to push by one at a time past her, and enter the ship as well. Denzel noted that one other crewmember was at the hatch, waiting to close up once all were aboard, but other than that there was only Yuffie. Unfortunately, she soon turned her attention down to the others pushing by her.

"Oh please…don't bother saying hello." She grumbled at them. "Don't thank me for coming out here to give a hand. I can take it. I'm used to being unappreciated…"

Denzel didn't really pay attention. Right now, he had a lot more important things on his mind, to be honest. He tightened the strap holding his sword across his back and continued on down the corridor, making for the bridge area. As he did, he heard the hatch slam shut behind them and click as it locked. In response, he heard Yuffie call out again. "Wha…? We're taking off again already? Aw man… I just finished throwing up after our last flight! And-" That, in turn, was soon followed up by the entire airship shaking. Denzel recognized that source too. The espers had to be taking their positions after fleeing away from the diner and dispersing in all directions, trying not to get any more attention from the crowds. Of course, Yuffie didn't know that… As he got further along the hallway, he heard called behind him again.

"Uh…what was that? Oh great…I knew this thing was falling apart the second I got on it! Ugh…I'm feeling sick already…"

Seconds later, and Mack was passing through the sliding door of the bridge. The others readily fell in behind, Denzel included. Only there did Shera break off with the two remaining children. The silent one went quietly enough. Crain, however, looked longingly toward his brother. Denzel did turn as she broke off and started to usher them out, and he did see this. He felt a twinge of regret inside him on seeing it…but he realized it was for the best. He couldn't be hanging around the bridge, after all. He'd get into too much. And he wasn't sure he wanted him knowing all the dangerous things they were soon going to be doing anyway.

"Prepare for takeoff." Mack immediately announced as he made his way up to the helm. "We're headed for…Junon, right?" This last part was directed back toward the older children.

"I'm pretty sure that's where dad said the Turks had moved." Azure answered in response.

"You can't be any more specific?"

Azure frowned and shook his head.

"Let's take that as a good sign." Shelke responded as she walked up to the observation deck. "Even Deepground wasn't fully aware of their position. That means that Diablos won't know where to look right away. Fortunately, we only knew that Krystea Anne Valentine was one of the Turks. We never could obtain more data on her origins. And none of us had suspected that Aerith Gainsborough might have had a blood relative still alive." She turned to the others at that, who were rapidly falling in behind. "…You're certain that she is a relative of Aerith's? It seems impossible that we could have missed a record of Ilfano having more than one offspring…yet you say she is a half-Cetra on her mother's side?"

Hearing this line of questioning made Denzel somewhat uncomfortable as he came to a halt. There had come a time about two years ago when he grew old enough to put two and two together, and realize from all of the hinting, asides, and simple facts of relative ages that Krystea couldn't have been who she said she was. He never really cared. She helped his parents out of a tight financial spot and Mrs. Aerith loved her well enough, so he figured it didn't really matter. However, he knew the truth himself at this point, and so did Azure. But none of them talked about it. Not among family members of friends. It was to the point where Denzel wasn't sure exactly who knew the truth… And to that end, he supposed he should better keep it as quiet as possible for a bit longer.

"…She is. Don't ask me how either. Mom and Dad never told me." Denzel answered for his surrogate brother.

For the briefest second, Shelke seemed to pause. Denzel just picked up on it. However, it was enough to realize one thing. She didn't buy that excuse. She knew that they knew more than they let on. However…she didn't press it. She turned back outside, even as the crewmembers began to fire up their respective consoles. Mack reached the helm and began to activate it as well.

"…Irregardless, the point is that Diablos is going to think that his plan is complete and will not immediately know why it isn't. We seem to finally have an advantage. We have whatever time it takes him to realize his plot failed and how long it takes him to figure out how to correct it."

"Then I'm pulling out all the stops." Mack answered as he finished switching controls and grabbed the wheel. A moment later, the engines began to grow louder. The ship lurched, and then began to lift off of the ground. The world started to fade beneath them through the center window. "There wasn't a whole lot of time between the two attacks that morning. Whatever thing that guy's using…Doomsubway or Deathtrain or whatever…it's faster than an airship. We're going to have to use this head start. Something tells me he might think hitting this airship itself is a good way to find out where the last Cetra is…"

"Then once you've dropped us off at Midgar, get back, find her, get her aboard, and get somewhere over the open ocean as soon as possible. Preferably in international waters." Shelke immediately instructed.

This, however, caused the others to look to her sharply.

"Midgar? We're headed for Junon." Marlene answered.

"And once we've dropped off Shera, the remaining children, and the espers save for Carbuncle to begin searching for Krystea Anne Valentine, we need to have Captain Mack fly us over Midgar and drop us off to begin our mission before returning to Junon and aiding in the search." Shelke answered. "We have no more time to waste. This is our only advantage. Diablos and all of his resources will soon turn toward trying to find out who he is missing. That will make him the most blind toward his own home affairs. We have to go now."

Denzel stayed silent, but his attention remained on Shelke as this settled in. She was right. Now was the best time. However…now that this had come, it really began to strike him. That meant that they'd be headed for Midgar itself next. Onto the plan that Shelke had outlined. And for the first time, he was realizing how imminent it was. This time it wasn't him protecting his friends or family. This was them actually going on a mission. Actually moving into enemy territory. Making a real move that everyone had cautioned him about before now…and fighting real monsters on their own turf… Now that the time had at last come, he realized that he did feel a bit of fear.

"…This also means we have to sort out this final deal of business now." Shelke continued after a moment, focusing her own gaze back on them. "Who will be going?"

* * *

"You'll be going with them, Carbuncle. The rest of us will scan the city for the Cetra."

Carbuncle gave a nod. "You got it. That pile of putrescence just got in a lucky shot. Next time, I'll be sure I calibrate my energy field just right. I'll beat him within an inch of his life. I'll scratch his-"

Shiva turned her head toward him with a darker look, cutting him off with a cold glare. Her hair whipped back fiercely in the wind of the moving airship, but she managed to speak over it. "Just teleporting them out, preferably with the Holy Essence, will do."

The small esper grumbled a bit and put his head down.

Ifrit himself gave a snort, putting his arms around himself tightly. He didn't like the coolness of the air one bit, not given his nature. It made him even testier than before. "Where's Leviathan in all this, I want to know… We could have used him against Diablos…"

"Lord Leviathan is off doing his mission, just as we are doing ours." Shiva answered calmly, yet also with firmness. "And right now, our mission is to not let the same debacle that happened less than an hour ago happen to this Krystea person."

"But what can we do?" Quetzacoatl asked from her own position, perched on a rail and looking rather uneasy and unsure of herself after their last loss. She still seemed rather nervous and afraid. "We can't beat Diablos. And next time, he'll be stronger…"

"Then next time, we'll have to be wiser." Shiva responded. "We'll have to avoid a direct confrontation. Keep moving. Stay hidden. Anything. But above all else, we have to find that Cetra and protect her. This time we won't be staying in the shadows. As soon as we find her, we're staying next to her until Diablos is defeated."

"Fine with me." Ifrit snorted.

"…Alright…" Quetzacoatl more reluctantly answered.

Shiva turned completely to her at that. "Stop moping. That won't help anyone and it won't change what happened. The only thing we can do now is not fail again. Now keep your chin up. We need you."

Quetzacoatl didn't respond right away. However, after a short exhale, she swallowed a bit and seemed to bite back some of her depression. She inhaled and exhaled a few times to steady herself. After a bit longer, she looked up to Shiva, and a bit more readily nodded to her.

Shiva looked back at her a moment, then back to the others. "While we're waiting, let's focus on sharpening our skills. We already know our powers are insufficient, so we'll have to rely on skill to carry us through the next battles…"

* * *

_Go on._

Rex didn't move. He was as still as a statue.

_Go on!_

Still nothing. His eyes stared blankly ahead. His mouth hung slightly open. It was as if something had just stabbed him in the back.

_MOVE!_

Leviathan's powerful telepathic voice forced his body to move against his will. Abruptly, he stumbled forward. His feet, still wet from where he had been standing, made a bit of a squish sound as they pressed against soil. It was soil now, no longer seashore sand. Here, the ocean dropped off sharply down a short cliff. Rex, however, was a bit in front of it, still apoplectic over what had just happened to him. He wasn't even fully realizing where he was, or remembering why he was there.

"You…you just…you just…" He finally mumbled.

_Oh, come off of it. You're fine._

Fine? It was true that he wasn't physically damaged. He wasn't even covered in putrid fluid as one would think he would be. The casual suit that he had very quickly changed into, one that he had to run back to Wutai and very quickly purchased after hauking a golden goblet that Leviathan had found off the bottom of the ocean and given to him, was intact, as was the remaining 36,000 gil he had in his pockets. However, there was the matter of how he got there…

The matter of how he had returned to shore with the suit and the money and most suddenly found Leviathan unhinging his jaw and bringing his entire mouth down on him, appearing to swallow him whole and alive, carry him through some floating black abyss for what seemed like eons, before spitting him back out right here on this very cliff.

No…he wasn't very 'fine'.

"You…you just swallowed me…"

_Sigh… I did not. I just held you in my mouth. I've done it to humans dozens of times._

"You didn't even warn me…"

_Get over it, already! We have work to do and time is against us!_

This latest bout of telepathy seemed to reach out into Rex's mind and practically give it a mental slap, shocking it out of this state and trying to get him back to his senses. It was, for the most part, effective. Something seemed to seize him and violently rip the thoughts of being inside Leviathan out of his head, allowing his mind to temporarily be blank. When it did come back, his awareness of where he was suddenly began to formulate.

A bit to his surprise, he found out that he was no longer anywhere near Wutai. To be honest, he didn't know exactly where he was. Ahead of him was a bit of a grassy lawn. It was well mowed and trimmed enough to show that someone had been caring for it rather than let it grow, and after going forward for a short way it appeared to come to some sort of concrete pathway leading up a set of stairs. From there, it led to a small building of some sort, like a booth, and what looked like a large, propellered golden tramway. There were numerous people walking up the path, but none of them seemed to notice him or pay him any mind save for one child with his parents. However, when he pointed at him and tried to alert them, they just dragged him on.

He looked back the way they were coming, and saw a lane of planted trees seeming to go down the side of a mountain to a low valley, where there were numerous smokestacks pumping away into the air. A bit of an acrid smell was caught from them, and Rex recognized it as the scent of a refinery. When he saw this, he looked back to see where the people, and the tram, were going. Only then did he start to notice something further in the distance. A large, glowing spire of gold surrounded by saucer-shaped building structures in an ascending fashion. The Gold Saucer.

Rex blinked in amazement. "We're here?"

_Yes. Right next to some sort of transport that seems to go to it, at least. This is the Gold Saucer, correct?_

Rex blinked again, still unable to believe it. "Well…yeah…" He murmured aloud, not realizing that to anyone passing by who could look out to see him and hear him over the various noises of machinery and the sea would think he was talking aloud to himself. "But…we went underwater… You would have had to go around the continent…"

_I didn't get named the Master of the Seas for being slow in the ocean. Now go. Get on board the tram and get inside that building as soon as possible. We need to find that Dio person._

The student hesitated. "Um…come again?"

_I can't turn humanoid. You'll have to go in and do the work._

Rex's eyes bulged as sweat burst across his brow. "Wha…me?! What can I do? I'm not a thief!"

_I never said we were going to be stealing it._ Leviathan's voice calmly answered.

"I can't bargain for it either!" Rex continued. "I mean…he'll never sell that thing for just 36,000 gil! It's priceless!"

_I never said we were going to buy it either._ The sea serpent went on. _Just relax. Go inside. I'm maintaining a psychic connection with you. I can see and hear what you see and hear. And I'll walk you through it. For now, just get into that building._

Rex swallowed. His knees were practically knocking now. He knew well enough to know the stories about the Gold Saucer…about how the owner tended to be a bit crazy running it. How if anyone caused trouble, they'd be sent to the prison…and he doubted a water esper would be able to break him out of there. Added to that fact that he wasn't that social, and he had a recipe for disaster. However, Leviathan was still rather intimidating. In fact, now that he was recovering from the shock of having been transported orally, he was beginning to get shocked at the fact that he was speaking to him in his head. Unfortunately…he was right. He did have to do this. For the sake of the world…

It took another minute for the student to smooth himself out. He coughed a few times and depressed the wrinkles in his suit. He straightened his hair a little and pushed up his glasses. Only after this was all done and he took one final deep breath did he feel confident enough to start walking across the lawn. Even when he finally set foot on the stone, he was a bit shaky. Yet he turned in with the crowd and struggled to blend in with them, though he felt like everyone was already staring at him and seeing him as a fake or with an alterior motive…

It was a weekday, Rex observed, and so the tram was free. He didn't notice until he had already gone to the ticket booth and had begun speaking to a closed blind…but in the end, he turned and made his way to the car. That was another bad thing. Flying in an airship was one thing. Being suspended over desert and oblivion by a few cables was something else, especially with the amount of butterflies packed into his stomach. The fact that he couldn't get a seat didn't really help out either. All of them were taken by the time he got in, leaving standing room only. Struggling to maintain his composure, he grabbed the nearest handle in a vice grip and held tight. His legs almost turned to water a moment later as the tram lurched, but then the engines fired up and slowly began to carry him along the cable.

Rex's eyes looked out and felt the car sway lightly with the wind as he saw them leave terra firma behind and go into the air. He sweat a little, but he felt nervous about raising his hand to wipe away at his brow. He swallowed again a few times. His breathing went uneven as they slowly continued their rise up the cable.

"Sir?"

"Huh? What!" Rex answered as he literally snapped around as if a snake had bit him. In response, another tourist, standing nearby, shrank back a bit in alarm. However, that one soon recovered, and with a bit more unease leaned forward again and offered a friendly smile.

"Um…are you alright? You don't look so well."

"Oh… Um… Uh…" Rex stammered in response, pulling a bit at his collar. "Er…uh…I'm fine. Really. I…uh…just…um… Yeah." The geologist didn't know it, but he had gone from white to green since entering the tram.

_Just relax._

"AH!" Rex screamed and leapt as he suddenly heard Leviathan's voice speak in his head. Immediately, everyone in the tram snapped their heads to him in surprise. Soon, he was being scrutinized by a hundred glares. As for the student, he relaxed, only to soon dart his head around and find everyone looking at him. Some of his color came back as red embarrassment flooded him. Swallowing again, and now feeling his throat much drier, he tried to calm back down and look away from everyone, visualizing himself getting very small and hoping that they didn't focus long.

_Sigh…you need to be calm. This will never work if you stay this flighty._

"I'm trying!" Rex called out in response…and soon blushed again as he saw more stares turn back at him. Now he tried to bury his head down against his shoulders. But Leviathan was right. He had to calm down. At this rate, he'd be arrested before he had the chance to do anything else. And so, he began to take long, slow, deep breaths, and tried to patiently wait out the rest of the ride.

After what seemed like an entirely too long time, the tram finally let out a large sliding sound as it went into its groove. The engines died down and it came to a halt. The doors hissed and cracked open, and the theme song that Rex had learned from cartoon shows when he was a kid began to ring through his ears. There was one good side to all of this. He had been one of the last ones on, so getting off was not a problem. He was the first out, and glad to set his feet upon solid ground. He backed away a bit to let the other passengers out, and once again smoothed out his clothing and regained his composure.

_You know…_ Leviathan spoke up again soon after, causing a little jump but not so much this time. Mostly, he made Rex sigh as his heart calmed down a moment later. _You don't have to speak out loud to respond to me. You can just think your response._

Rex exhaled again and brushed back his hair. "I talk aloud when I think…" He whispered back.

_Try to rid yourself of that bad habit. Now get to the main counter. Anywhere you can get information._

The student cracked his neck, wiped one last bit of sweat off from his forehead, and then turned and looked behind him again. Just ahead loomed a very large and cartoony sign saying "Welcome". Right next to it, wearing one of the typical "easy-on-the-eyes" employees who worked the place was selling tickets and information out of a giant fat chocobo booth. Most of the people were already lining up there, getting tickets or displaying their lifetime passes. Thinking calm thoughts, Rex drew himself up and began to walk over. Soon he got in line and waited for his turn.

About ten minutes later, and it was finally his turn to step up. Moistening his lips, he did so and stood before the woman. She offered him a large smile, the same she offered to all guests.

"Welcome to the Gold Saucer!" She brightly announced. "Admission is 3,000 gil. Lifetime passes are 30,000 gil."

Rex's eyes nearly bulged. "No wonder mom and dad never took me here as a kid…" He murmured under his breath.

_Take a one day pass._

"Um…take a one day…I mean, I'll take a one day pass."

The woman nodded, then waited for her money. Rex paused for a moment, before he suddenly remembered the cash in his pocket. He quickly fumbled for it, and ended up yanking the whole wad out from his pocket, displaying quite a few large numbered bills as he did so, before looking to the woman. He quickly started to pick out 3,000 from it."

_Sigh…next time, don't wave so much money around, unless thieves have changed considerably in the past few hundred years…_ He heard a disciplining voice say, breaking his concentration and forcing him to recount. _Now…ask her where she can find the owner._

"Um…miss?" Rex began to ask as he finally got the money and gave it to her. The rest he put in one hand and tried to shove into his suit coat pocket, not realizing that it was false and ending up struggling to tear a hole in his own suit. "Do you…um…do you know where I might find the owner?"

The woman, now a little offset at Rex's nervous behavior, nevertheless counted the money and put it away before moving to a machine to print out a ticket. "If Mr. Dio is around, you can usually find him in his trophy room at the Battle Arena." Then, with the tone of someone who had memorized this long ago and was accustomed to spewing it back out. "Did you know that our owner, Mr. Dio, started the Gold Saucer Enterprises company working as an arena owner for his own matches, and to this day remains our most winningest champion in the Battle Arena?"

Rex gave some vague nods of comprehension. The woman began to add some pamphlets and coupons along with the ticket before handing it over. "Um…I might be wrong…but didn't a certain…um…Cloud Strife…win a lot of battles?"

"He wasn't a champion when he fought." The woman immediately answered. "Dio already was when he participated, making him the most winningest _champion._"

"Oh…alright." Rex managed to answer.

Fifteen minutes later, and Rex was passing underneath the main arch of the Battle Arena. Various shady characters were already gathered there. Some looked rather beaten up. Obviously, they had tried their luck in the Battle Arena, and hadn't done that well. Now they were turning their attention to other patrons to try and bail them out, Rex included. Seeing as some of them looked like they wouldn't exactly take no for an answer…Rex struggled to avoid them as he made his way up to the arena. By the time he had made it inside, he was a bit out of breath again from having charged up the steps so quickly.

As Rex passed inside, he could already start to smell sweat and hear the sound of blows and damage further inside in the main arena. A roar was coming from the crowds as well in response. All of it contributed to making the student more and more uncomfortable as he came in. He especially didn't like the prying eyes of the workers staring at him hopefully, seeming to think he was looking to sign up.

"If you're expecting me to fight for it…"

_No, I'm not expecting that either. Just get into that trophy room._

Rex was more than happy to. He looked around the main lobby a bit more, he finally managed to catch a side exit nearby. Quickly, he walked out toward it. He was grateful that the sound of battle almost immediately began to die back, and soon the smell of sweat and the possibility of a fight shrank away too. He had calmed down considerably by the time he ducked into the main chamber.

Once there, Rex let out a sigh of relief. He looked to the ceiling, removed his glasses, and rubbed at his eyes for a moment. Thus recovered, he put them back on and angled his head down again to take a look at the area.

The neon lights here were as bright and flashy as everywhere else, and it kind of made the student a bit sick at this point. However, the air definitely seemed fresher in here. Whatever climate control was working had a different effect here within this room. It also seemed rather clean compared to the other places he had passed by. And it was quiet too. Rex didn't have to worry about prying eyes here. No one had bothered to check this out except him, it appeared.

As his eyes looked over the trophies, he could see why. They weren't really trophies at all. It looked more like a collection of various antiques. Only some of them looked like they were actually worth anything. Other things included an oversized old clock face, an antiquated diving suit, and what appeared to be a simple urn-shaped concrete pedestal. At any rate, he could also tell that there were security systems all around the place. He could make out the shapes of laser projectors in various locations, providing a net of a guard around whatever display cases or areas were in the chamber. Assuming there was anything here that a thief did want to steal, it wouldn't be easy.

Rex slowly began to walk inside. His footsteps echoed long on the tile, ringing through the chamber. His eyes scanned over the objects in the area. There were indeed a few things made of crystal or precious stones. They were few and far between, however. He wondered if this man really did have a fondness for antiques, old relics, or if he was simply a collector of junk. Maybe he could trade him something after all for it…

_There._

The student seemed to feel a force tug his eyes in one direction. And when it did…it rested on it.

It was a medieval goblet. It looked royal enough. It had two large handles and was made thickly with runes and insignias engraved on it. It could have quenched the thirst of an ogre. It was a bit rough too, like roughly hewn wood. However, there was no mistaking it for what it was. Lunarite. Rex wasn't an expert on history, but he knew enough from his studies to know that in days where glass and glassmakers were rare, some lords made their dinnerware out of precious gems or stones that had transparency in them. This was an example of it.

Immediately, Rex closed the rest of the distance to it. He was soon standing only a mere three feet from the object, looking it over. However, he also looked over the fact that there were security lasers in front of it as well. There was no way he could just take it. Even if he could, there was no way to hide it underneath his clothing. He stared at it a bit longer, but then gave a shrug to no one in particular.

"Alright…now what?"

_Just stand there and pretend to admire it. Now Rex…listen carefully. My bet is that this Dio character is going to come in soon. When he does, you have to look confident, and you have to do what I tell you to exactly. Don't question me or get surprised at any request. Do you understand?_

Rex swallowed again at this. More chances to screw things up, it seemed… But he forced that out of his head. He had to do this. He had to help somehow. "…Yes."

_Good, then keep waiting…_

The student exhaled in response, and looked back at the goblet. After that, he took more deep breaths to try and keep himself calm. It didn't take very long to get bored of doing this. There was only so much interest one could get from looking at a goblet. And the fact that time was indeed not on their side only made him more antsy. However, he was determined to do as he was told this time. He tried to relax his body as much as possible and keep himself from getting any more high strung. He kept his eyes on the goblet and patiently waited…

"You like it, I see."

It was only because Rex had been really relaxing himself that he didn't leap again at the sound of a voice from almost over his shoulder. As it was, he almost turned too quickly around to see who had spoken.

He was a bit put off by the sight. The guy in front of him was huge…and he looked like he belonged in certain adult films rather than in a display room. Other than lots of oil to accent his rippling, giant muscles, the man was dressed only in a tight pair of red underpants and a fake collar with a bow tie on it. His hair was slicked back and then kept back with a band, so that his large face and large eyes were left to look down and pierce Rex. His smile looked almost too big as he put his meaty arms on his hips.

"Um…er…" He began to stammer.

Luckily, the man didn't seem to notice. He pushed to Rex's side and looked at the goblet himself. "Great, isn't it? Almost like a trophy itself. A king and his subjects once drank from this. Some say maybe King Odin himself…"

_Hmph…not likely. He was dead when Lunarite came to the world._

Rex stayed silent and expressionless.

"I thought it would make a perfect trophy. So I bought it at an auction, made it the prize of the next tourney, and then I won it." The man smiled. "Now I have a right to say I earned it, and didn't just pay for it. That's important, you know. Otherwise it's meaningless."

Rex said nothing, but now as the muscular man was at his side, he began to realize who he had to be. Apparently, this was Dio. So that meant he was the guy to talk to. With that in mind, he tried to stay as stoic as possible until he was given some directions. Luckily, not long after, they began to come in.

_Alright…so long as human nature hasn't changed much, I have a good idea of what type of person this man is. But let's chew the fat a bit longer, so to speak. Tell him you like it, but that you couldn't ever have one like that due to a dislike of sports._

"Er…" Rex just mentioned, before he managed to calm himself down and speak as regularly as he could. "I do like it…but I couldn't ever get a prize like this. I'm not a fan of sports."

Dio snorted in response. "Pathetic waste of a life, then." He retorted. "What good is having money or privilege or anything else unless you have a body that can enjoy it all to its fullest extent? If you've lived like that, you've been cheating yourself. Didn't you hear me? This cup was worth over a million gil when I bought it at an auction, but it didn't mean a thing to me until I earned it."

Rex was a little put off by this, especially since it seemed that Dio was now looking down his nose at him. However, Leviathan continued.

_Now say that you don't enjoy sports, but that you like games. Just ones to sharpen your mind._

"Well…" Rex started again. "Just because I don't like sports…doesn't mean I don't like games. I just like to exercise my mind when I'm playing a game, that's all."

Dio gave another snort. "You mean trivia? Quizes? A bunch of useless knowledge, if you ask me. Someone might think it's nice to be a walking encyclopedia, but I haven't ever cared to get to know a stack of books or take them to bed."

_You misunderstand me. I like games that require you to know the other person._

"Oh, not like that… I like games that mean you have to…you know, read the other guy. That sort of thing."

Dio turned to him, and after a pause gave a smile. A hand went out and smacked Rex hard on the back, nearly throwing him into the security lasers. "Now you're starting to speak my kind of language, my friend. I can appreciate an exercise of one's mind when you put it that way. I mean, if it was just our brawn against the world, we wouldn't be any better than the rest of those monsters running around outside, would we? But being shrewd…having street smarts…there's nothing better than that. Hell, that's why I put the roulette wheels inside the battle arena. I don't need some muscle head in there just bashing through everything. I want to really work them. Let fate decide. See if they can get their way out of whatever chance throws at them. Those are the kind of men who are going to inherit the earth, believe you me."

_And are there any games like that on these premises?_

"…Do you have any games here that I can go against?"

"Hmm…" Dio answered. "Well…I'm afraid there's no gambling allowed in the Battle Arena. It's the players themselves that make the gamble there. However…there's a lovely Chocobo Racetrack here. The finest in the world. And various other gambling areas are located on those premises. How are you about seeing if you can guess the character of card players?"

_Tell him to help you find out._

"…Care to help me find out?"

A big grin went on his face. "Sure thing. You do have money, right?"

"Um, yeah."

"Excellent. Let's get it changed, and then we can have a few friendly wagers…"

* * *

Denzel's fingers flexed as he waited. His eyes looked to the ceiling, and he fixated on one of the lights mounted against it. He slowly exhaled and inhaled.

_Come on…forget about it. This is a chance to do something yourself for once…to make mom and dad proud- …It's your chance. You have to do it for your brother. For everyone._

Unfortunately, he kept hearing Shelke's last statement ring in his ears.

_We'll be dropping into a hot zone. We may be shot at._

The youth looked over himself to see what he had. His clothing…his sword, of course…a walkie-talkie that the airlines used and Mack had let him borrow…a flashlight…and, last but not least, two bottles of self-accelerated healing gel. It wasn't that uncommon. You could actually get it cheap in almost any town…at least, the weak stuff. His parents had gone through quite a lot in the war. It made the difference between life and death in many situations. He had two of the higher concentrated varieties in his pockets.

Denzel slowly looked to his side. Nearby was Azure, looking infinitely more cool than him. It was a good thing, because it incited Denzel to not let him show him up, and so he tried to act more confident himself. Azure had the same items, only with a few more extras that Yuffie had leant them. Of course…it wasn't really easy getting her to do that. Her comments were still ringing in Denzel's ears too…or, more likely, making her ears ring.

_WHAT! Uh-uh! No way! I'm not taking the "safe" job! You guys have a lot of nerve, dragging me out all the way here, and not even letting me shows these diabolic boneheads what it means to go against the greatest of the Wutai warriors! Junon's boooooring!_

Denzel was a bit unhappy about it too. It would have felt good to have another person along with more experience… But they wanted her to stay behind. They were starting to get a pretty good idea of what would happen next. Irregardless of whether or not they could find Krystea, if Diablos was planning on moving any force…it would hit Junon first. She had to help out there, since they were kind of short on members of the "old gang". At the least, she could round up former PPA members.

However, that didn't make him nearly as uncomfortable as the next person his eyes hit.

_I want to come. I was able to help back in Edge and Kalm, wasn't I? I may not be as well trained as you two, but this is my family too. Diablos must have brainwashed those kids back at the orphanage as well. I want to be able to do something. I won't get in the way._

Marlene was tightening and relaxing her fists, tight with a set of gloves that she had also borrowed from Yuffie. She was getting ready to bring her slight bit of training in street fighting to bear. In accordance, she had discarded all of her hanging clothing for loose yet close fitting material, with her own items shoved into her pockets. In addition, she had rifle slung over her back that she had borrowed from some of the old military surplus Mack kept on board in case of an emergency, and had about 30 rounds of ammunition. She was hopping slightly in place, getting light on her feet and ready to go.

Denzel really wished she wasn't with them. Marlene had said she wasn't going to get in the way, but even so…he was worried about her. Knowing where they were going made him even more uncomfortable. He had almost agreed with Shelke for once when she said for her to stay back, but she wouldn't be denied. Denzel wondered if this was how it was like back when mom and dad went out together…

That left two more people up ahead. Shelke had been earnest to get out of her old clothing, and so she was able to take a spare flight uniform and cut off certain parts of it to made a crude sort of combat attire for herself. She had also cobbled together some holsters out of old equipment and inserted what simply appeared to be slightly modified metal pipes into each. It was almost a child-like pantomime of her original weapons, but they hadn't time to get better ones. Last but not least, Carbuncle had rejoined them, and was perched on the ground nearby. Both of them stood before the other three, and all of them stared at the shut metal hatch door on the side of the airship. The engines made the area shudder as they stared at it and waited.

Shelke also was palming one last device in her hand. Denzel recognized it as a grenade.

"As soon as this door opens, jump out and follow me." Shelke announced. "Don't look around. Stay low if you can. I don't think any of the anti-aircraft will be active immediately, but there will be sentries. Doing this in daylight is hardly wise, but we have no choice. We're too pressed for time."

Denzel and the others said nothing. They only continued to wait. The youth shook his hands and tried to relax. He inhaled and exhaled a few times more. He couldn't help but feel himself sweat. His heart was beginning to grow louder in his chest. He tried to focus on the task at hand. Just focus on the first step. Worry about everything else after that. Stay calm…think about what Cloud had taught him…picture himself in his shoes. He was always cool, no matter what danger was about to befall him… He had to be like him…

Abruptly…Denzel felt the floor pitch. The engines changed their drone tone. When that happened, Denzel snapped out of it as his heart began to beat. This was it. They were making their descent. He soon tensed up along with Azure and Marlene. Carbuncle himself looked a bit nervous at this, pacing around on the floor.

"Alright…you humans are going to have to take the lead in all this, because I ain't got any idea what any of this stuff you built in this world is…"

"Then get ready to jump. We're nearly there." Shelke answered.

Denzel repressed the urge to draw his sword. He felt somewhat safer with it out, but it would only make things more awkward. He breathed in and out again as he tried to keep himself calm. He needed his head now. They all did. He finally held and waited for the fateful moment.

At last, he felt the floor level off again. It was even for about two seconds, before the area in front of him hissed. Suddenly, cracks of light appeared around the hatch, and the glow beyond soon began to grow as the door opened wide. When it did, the sky, cloudy and gray, yet still allowing light through at this time of day, began to be exposed. Soon the world around it began to become visible as well as the hatch door continued to open. Denzel didn't notice, but the airship slowed considerably here, until it was barely moving along the ground. But he hardly noticed anything else, either. He just noted the ground suddenly becoming visible and whizzing by. It was then that Shelke leapt out. Somewhat reluctantly, Carbuncle followed. Denzel tightened his fists and, along with his friends, soon dashed forward and jumped off the edge to follow suit.

For a moment, Denzel felt a wave of vertigo and fear as he fell longer through the air than he expected. Landing was hardly much better, for he was angled sharply and almost thrown off balance. However, ahead of him, in the midst of the twirling and fast-moving environment around him, Denzel saw Shelke land and start running. And so, he forced his legs to get beneath him and soon ran after her. She was rather quick, especially for someone her physical age…but he pushed himself and managed to keep up. In no time at all, Azure and Marlene were falling in behind him, while Carbuncle dashed after him just in front.

Now with a moment, Denzel soon began to disobey what Shelke had said and looked around as he ran after her. He was very young when Midgar fell and he had been left an orphan fleeing the wreckage for Edge, but Denzel remembered something of the Sector 7 train graveyards. That's exactly what this was. At one point, it might have been a station of some sort. There were buildings and overhead girders for signaling and loading cargo, after all. But now it was practically a maze. Cars and engines were strewn everywhere, and the tracks themselves were twisted, buried, uprooted, and every other way you could think of. Some of the trains were still mostly intact and in their linear arrangements. Most, however, were either on their side, half destroyed, or angled off the tracks in certain ways in order to create a twisting series of pathways which Shelke now led them through. He realized that this was a good spot after all. With the cars rising on either side as they went along, there was lots of cover. As he looked up to the skyline, he realized that there were areas few and far between in which anyone could even look out…

That said…Denzel saw something a moment later that made him gasp and stumble, nearly making Marlene and Azure crash into him. He saw a water tower as he passed from behind one set of train cars. And it was mounted with four large heavy machine guns, one in each cardinal direction. For a moment, he thought they were toast. Yet it lasted only a moment. He soon saw that they were abandoned. The weapons were sitting their uselessly. Actually…it made sense. Didn't Shelke tell them that they hadn't the manpower before to cover all entrances? Still…it could have been rearmed. At any rate, with no one there, he started to look back and pick up speed again. Marlene and Azure slowly followed suit.

That was when Denzel noticed something else. The sky. It was indeed gray over where he was running, thick and overcast. But the sky framing the water tower was much darker. Almost black. The sun had almost been totally blotted out from there. Further along…closer to former Midgar…Denzel saw that the sky was even darker, as if that portion of the world was enveloped in night…or blacker. Denzel himself knew that Midgar had used to be a realm of eternal night due to its pollution and mako usage, but that had cleared up since its fall. Yet even if Denzel was to believe that Midgar's artificial night had not turned off yet, he knew that this was not natural. There was something far more dark and sinister there…

"Here."

The flat statement by Shelke immediately cut off the youth's train of thought. He looked back ahead, and slowed down a moment later. The girl was coming to a halt in front of a building. Specifically, she was pulling up to what looked like a storm sewer grating on its side. The building itself was half collapsed. On seeing it, Denzel immediately saw that it wasn't that big at all. In fact, he was familiar with the type growing up. They were the kind only kids who were dumb and inexperienced went to play in or hide. They were so tight that you could easily get stuck or submerged in a rainstorm, and no one would ever know where to find you. That was back when Denzel still had a good chance of moving through one. Now…seeing its space scarely wide enough to accommodate his shoulders.

"You're kidding…"

"I told you it was tight." Shelke responded as she pulled out one of her metal poles. There were locks on the grating, but to Denzel's surprise, Shelke swung the pole down with such force that she shattered the locks, first on one side and then on the other. As the fragments of the mechanisms fell to the ground, she put her weapon away and seized the grating herself, pulling it off. Immediately, she dropped down to a squat and angled her body at it.

A moment later, and she pressed a button on the grenade and tossed it within. "Stay back." She instructed, although she herself did not move.

Denzel might have reacted faster, had the weapon not been on such a short fuse. Shelke had hardly let it fall in before an ear-splitting eruption rang out. A column of fire and smoke belched from the hole. In shock, the youth leapt back, along with everyone else save for Shelke, as a loud echo ripped through the air and shattered any silence that they might have been able to maintain until that point. She remained calm throughout it, however, almost as if it didn't even happen. Even when the loud eruption died down, the others only reluctantly leaned back as they saw Shelke start to rise again.

"…I thought you guys didn't build magical weapons in the future…" Carbuncle groaned. "My ears are going to be ringing for hours…"

Denzel himself was a bit irritated. "What about all that stuff about keeping quiet?"

"This part was inevitable." She answered. "I had to take out the Red Saucers. Regardless of how it is done, they'll detect that four were disabled. And if anyone was down there to hear what we've just done, then we're thwarted anyway. Come on."

A bit to Denzel's amazement, Shelke then entered the hole. But she didn't lower herself down or slide in. Instead, she put her head in first and practically dove into the tube, her small body sliding in like a finger in a glove. Soon she had vanished into the darkness, leaving them behind.

Carbuncle alike seemed surprised at this. After a moment of silence, he turned to the others and grimaced. "I may be an esper…but even I know that crawling into some dark hole like this is nutty under normal circumstances." He paused, and then shrugged. "…Oh well." After that, he turned and leapt in after her.

"Yeah, let's go, Denzel." Azure spoke up. "He's right. We have to keep going now that we've come this far."

The youth grimaced slightly, but then cocked his head. He was right. A bit more slowly and hardly as gung ho, Denzel walked closer to the entrance of the hole, still smoking a bit, and squatted. He wasn't sure why, but he felt it might be best to enter the same way Shelke did. Once he was that far, he nervously hesitated again before tentatively reaching out with his hands into the darkness. For a moment, they simply waded through oblivion. But then, he felt the sides. He realized that the pipe wasn't a straight drop but was angled. With that in mind, he inhaled once more and slowly extended his body within with arms outstretched. Before long…he found his head and shoulders passing into the very narrow tube, and the rest of his body narrowing out as best as he could to let him slide inside. It was rather tight with his equipment and sword…not to mention uncomfortable. He saw a glimpse of light into the darkness momentarily, revealing Carbuncle just ahead and Shelke's feet much further down, already working her way quickly through. Not wanting to be abandoned, Denzel shoved his torso inside and brought his legs in next. Soon, they too were forced to be almost straight, barely enough room for fitting his shoes. But his hands were in front of him and the pipe was smooth. He was able to use contact adhesion to grab the side and pull himself deeper in.

Before long, Denzel was dripping with sweat and taking long, slow, deep breaths. He wasn't claustrophobic, but any residual fear of enclosed spaces on anyone's part would have been brought to bear here. It was a nightmare. He felt the pipe close in all around him as he began to very slowly crawl through. He could barely even raise it enough to look ahead. With all of them packed in there, it got hot quickly, and it didn't help that the air was still filled with the scent of smoke and the pipe had signs of hot scoring and debris damage. Denzel had to wrench his way over bits of jagged metal more than once. He let out a mild curse whenever he heard his clothing or pants tear. Yet he had to complain about that just to take his mind off of the fact that he was so terribly restricted. He tried with all his might not to think about it...

"Um…" A muffled voice, barely audible around Denzel's body filling the pipe, came forward. He managed to recognize it as Marlene. "How much farther?"

"We've only gone about 100 meters so far." Denzel heard come back…much to his own anguish. It felt like he had been slowly inching his way through this pipe forever. He was getting tired as it was.

"Now you humans see why it's good to be small." Carbuncle piped up.

There was silence for a bit longer. They continued to make their way. The sweat helped a little. Although it was stifling in the chamber, the sweat was soaking through his clothing and making him a bit more "lubricated". Unfortunately, it was also ruining his grip. Time did seem to tick by for quite a while. Denzel had no idea how much time really was going by, but it felt like a long time. And it was monotonous as…

"…Hold."

Abruptly, Shelke stopped in front of Denzel. This caused Carbuncle to stop, which in turn made him stop sliding. The pipe filled with sounds of panting. Denzel, gasping himself, looked in front as sweat flowed into his eyes. He couldn't even wipe it out as it stung…

"What's wrong?"

There wasn't an answer. He continued to pant, and Shelke continued to stay still, her feet blocking up the pipe in front of Denzel, and Carbuncle blocking most of the rest. The others waited for a few moments, calming down as they did so.

Then, Denzel heard something. It was muffled, but it was in front of him. It sounded like miniature rotors…and sparking. Not just from electrical damage, but from some sort of taser device or shocker actually going to work. This made him suddenly feel much cooler. What if that grenade hadn't destroyed all of the drones?

As the youth tensed up and began to pant harder, he heard more noise up ahead. The rotors whirred more strongly, and the sparking increased. Servos began to whine. Denzel began to stiffen, nearly spasming within the pipe. They were stuck there like rats in a trap…like sardines in a can. There was no way for them to defend themselves or run. They were as good as dead… He didn't even think he could slide backward and get out. Not up the incline. It was the only reason he was able to move forward as it was… He began to panic…

When he heard a sharp jolt and some sort of break. The noises stopped.

"…All clear." Shelke stated. Her voice sounded a bit strained…but her feet began to slide forward once again.

Carbuncle and Denzel alike looked forward for a moment, hesitating. However, Shelke was soon moving normally and getting ahead of them again. As a result, Denzel finally swallowed back. His heart calmed down once again, and he slowly relaxed his muscles. At last, he began to slide forward.

A bit later, and he saw a Red Saucer…at least, the most intact one he had come across yet. It wasn't much. A flat, disk-like robot that seemed to form a container of sorts propped up on four rolling appendages. It had antenna and what looked to almost be like crab pincers of a sort, only much smaller. These ones were black on the ends, seeming to indicate the ability to use electricity. One of them, however, was warped and turned backward, and had been shoved into the central array on the machine. The smell of burning ozone rose from it, and Denzel could guess what had happened as he continued onward.

There were no more incidents…but time stretched on long as the four made their way through the pipe. So long, in fact, that Denzel and the others were forced to call out to Shelke to stop to break at certain points. They had become too tired and sore from crawling to keep it up. They were hardly even crawling, actually. They were almost squirming down the pipe as best as they could. The monotony and tiredness eventually got to Denzel. The air was so thin that he panted and gasped into a sort of dazed stupor. Time stretched on, but he lost any concept of it as he kept making his way down the pipe. For being just the first kilometer of their journey, it was taking forever…

However, Denzel did pick it up when the air slowly began to get cooler and fresher. When that happened, he knew they were finally on their way out. That strengthened him a bit. As he went on, he found that the scent up ahead wasn't all together pleasant. It smelled a lot of chemicals and who knew what else. However, it was also cooler and better than the hot, cramped area in which he was now. If danger was ahead, he almost relished it over what they were going through.

Finally, Shelke's body curved and slid out of the tube just in front of Denzel. Cool, yet foul smelling, air struck Denzel in the face and went to work on his sweat, cooling him considerably. The flow came even stronger when Carbuncle leapt out afterward. Of course, he immediately put a furry paw to his button nose.

"Oh my god…it smells like ass in here!"

Denzel would have said more like rotten eggs, but he didn't care. He continued to slide forward. At long last, his fingers tipped over the edge and grabbed cold metal. He pulled himself out further, and was soon hoisting his shoulders and arms out. His body was stiff, and his limbs only slowly flexed. He let out a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" in the process. And he was so limp that he seemed to slide out of the tube like meat in a sausage grinder. Despite the feeling of age and wetness Denzel detected as his face slide out at an angle and rested against the floor of this new area, he was too stiff to care, and he slumped into a pile on the ground.

Marlene did much the same when she came out. Azure was sliding his own body free before Denzel managed to arch his back. He heard his vertebrae crackle as he stiffened his legs and flexed. His knees popped as well as he slowly put them underneath him. Only then was he able to get onto his feet and push up, rising to a stand. He let out another grunt as he was able to get up, and looked about him a bit.

Just as Shelke had said, they were in the main sewer. That was the source of the smell…that and whatever manner of rubbish and filth was growing on the cylindrical walls of the shaft they found themselves in. The floor itself had been covered with a metal grating, and this was what Denzel had felt as he landed. It covered a dried out channel that had passed all sorts of rubbish in its day. It was dark in here. It had been dimly lit when all the lights worked. Now, with most of them burned out or covered in rubbish, it was even dimmer. Of course, it was still relatively much brighter than the tube, and Denzel's eyes had been adjusting for a while, so he could make out good detail.

He cracked his neck and let out a mighty groan with a stretch.

"Stop it." A cold whisper ordered.

Denzel turned his head and looked to the only other who was standing, Shelke. He hadn't noticed it, but she had gotten up almost as soon as they exited. What more, Denzel saw that her forearms had a few streaking, nasty red burns. It had to have been from the Red Saucer attacking her. To the youth's amazement, she had crawled through the entire tube with these injuries.

"I'm making too much noise as it is just telling you to be quiet." Shelke continued, her eyes locked on him and glaring. "This is the outskirts of DeepGround. There are mutants filling these corridors. This entrance took us around the hot spots, but they could be anywhere."

Denzel hesitated, but then did as he was told, grudgingly as he was. She did have a point. He could see fairly well, but there were more than enough shadows to hide in…especially for monstrosities that lived in there…

Azure rose next, and everyone waited on Marlene. Shelke had to shush her as well. However, once all of them were on their feet, they turned their attention to their guide.

"Alright…" She stated in a whisper as she looked at a timepiece. "…That took us two hours longer than expected. We'll have to move as fast as we can through this next point without being too loud and calling DeepGround or the creatures on us."

At this, Denzel realized he had no idea how long they had been crawling through there. He pulled up his own watch and looked at it. Despite his agreement to be quiet…he gasped. Almost six hours had gone by. They had been moving that slowly? By now, it had to be nightfall…

"Don't do that again." Shelke sharply ordered Denzel on hearing his reaction. He was forced to swallow back his voice and look up to her.

"Yeah, human." Carbuncle answered in a disciplining whisper. "It was only…" He paused after saying this, and looked confused. With something of a frown, he abruptly bounced into the air and grabbed Denzel's hand, yanking it down as he landed. Denzel was so surprised by this act that he went along without resistance. Carbuncle didn't seem to care, however, as he turned his wrist and looked at the clock.

His beady black eyes seemed to turn into small dishes.

_"Six hours?!"_

This wasn't a harsh whisper. It was a full on yell. It caused the entire group to jump in shock, even Shelke to a small degree, before sending a rather loud, potent, and resounding echo through the entire sewer system. To Denzel's horror as he calmed down, he heard the voice resonate and rebound far away from them, only very slowly fading out.

Carbuncle himself glared at Denzel's watch in shock for a moment more…before his eyes shrank and his ears fell. He looked up nervously and seemed to realize just how loud he had been. Very hesitantly, as the others turned to him and glared, the small esper mouthed a very minor, "oops".

Shelke's eyes narrowed, but then she turned and began to walk, her footsteps being surprisingly silent against the metal grating, while she still maintained a fairly normal amble.

"…Let's be gone while there's still a few creatures in this sewer who _don't_ know we're here."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	23. The Turks Return

"It'sch becush our society needsch war. You got to have people tearin' schtuff up and breakin' thingsch down and having guysch like usch kill guysch like the other guysch to make a buck. You give all schorts of people jobsch cleanin' up after usch…and the bigger the messch we make the better for ma and pa feedin' junior back home. I tell you…we're the prime motivator for the world economy. There'sch the big irony… We make the world a better plasche by makin' it worsche. That's a fact of life."

Elena merely crossed her arms and glared back, unaffected by the speech. "And what does that have to do with you spending half the petty cash on booze?"

"Economic schtimulation, of coursche…" Reno answered with a wavering casual flick of his hand before he put his tenth half-empty bottle to his lips and downed another gulp.

"…He's been having a bad month." Rude tried to explain nearby on his own stool.

"And me and Krystea haven't?" Elena protested a bit angrily. Her voice was already having to be high to get over the bar music of the local tavern, despite the fact that she was facing the main deck and right next to Reno and Rude. They had their usual positions for 60 of the time they were awake…slumped over alcoholic drinks. Rude, however, if he couldn't hold his liquor, usually seemed to fake it well. Even now, behind his stoic faces and sunglasses, it was hard to tell if he was past his limit. Reno, on the other hand, was almost drowning in his latest beer.

"We're all in a tight spot and having to cut back!" Elena continued. "That doesn't give us an excuse to go out and get drunk every night!"

"It'sch good luck…" Reno murmured. "And talk quieter…you're giving me an early hangover…"

Elena smacked her hand against her forehead. "You guys can frustrate me so much sometimes…"

"Well, the feelin'sch mutual." Reno grumbled. "I liked it better when you were still new at thisch thing and we could schut you up onsche in a while… Now you're like the mom I never had…or wanted…"

Reno, unfortunately for human nature, was rather right about what he said before. A time of peace wasn't good for people like the Turks. When Shinra had been in operation, there had only been too much work for them to do. Now that the world had settled down considerably, and things were stabilizing again, there was little to no work to be found. And even when there was, the pay was variable and the work inconsistent. Even the large load that they had stolen from the New Shinra prior to its collapse hadn't stayed long. Not considering the expenses that the Turks could accrue when going on jobs. Lots of the technology had previously been scavenged or given to them by their employers. None of that was happening anymore. They soon realized they were burning through it a lot faster than expected. So much so that Rude had put away half of their funds into a secret account so they would have something left for retirement. Since then, they had been trying to get enough work to break even. Yet it wasn't working. Their equipment and maintenance costs were surpassing what they expected employers to pay them, and many of their employers couldn't give them enough overhead. That caused them to be even more selective and miss out on more work. They had to dip into the retirement fund once already this month. They had to do better.

What was especially depressing was that they had a good, well paying job set up recently. Old Reeve back at Isuzu Industries had called them up for potential help in locating something in old Midgar. Being rather knowledgable of its nooks and crannies, it was right up their alley. And here was a man who was part of a rather lucrative company…surpassed only by the old Shinra Inc. He could cover the overhead easily and present them with a rather nice profit too. Maybe even cover equipment costs himself. The only problem was that the job had been on hold. They were supposed to wait for him to contact them with the go-ahead the next day.

The call never came. While Reno and Rude had been out celebrating and Krystea getting some weapons serviced, Elena had waited all day for the telephone call, and fell asleep doing so. A call did come in rather late that night, but, as the Turks later discovered, it was a good thing Elena was asleep for it. There had been calls coming all over Junon that night from Midgar. Like something out of some twisted horror story, everyone who answered was going nuts. Reno and Rude found that out themselves when the barkeep where they resided answered the phone behind the counter. Five minutes later, Reno and Rude had bashed his brains in, but not before he had set fire to their favorite dive and turned it into a pile of ash. On the way home, they had realized that this incident wasn't isolated. Calls were coming in everywhere, and anyone who picked up had the same thing happen. Luckily, Reno and Rude were unlisted, even to Krystea's friends and family. They got back to their business/house just in time to have Reno smash the answering machine with his electropole before Elena could press the "play" button.

Now things were nuts. While Reno and Rude were content to play their traditional cycle of drunkenness through, the news was on louder in their newest establishment of choice than it was traditionally, and the few patrons who had come there were staring at it intently for any change. Junon had gone very quiet over the past few days, with no one quite trusting anyone else. Whoever had heard the phone calls had gone nuts. It didn't matter if they were family or friends or anything…they attacked to kill anyone around them. There were at least as many murders that night as there were people who went crazy. The police had their hands full, and others were forced to kill the attackers or be killed by them. Reno himself noted that the barkeep had taken his prod at enough power to kill most his brain cells, and yet still kept coming. Whatever was happening to these people, it was turning them into unstoppable killing machines. They only managed to take four alive, and last they had heard, they were in the maximum security area of the mental health treatment complex division of Junon Hospital. They were not only hog tied and straight jacketed but also were gagged, because they were chewing away the pads on the walls. The only other symptoms reported were that their eyes turned blood red.

Essentially, the whole city had a feeling of dread and doom. That turned even worse when emergency broadcasts were picked up from Edge, and the same thing began to happen to whoever heard them. Luckily, this effect wasn't as widespread. Junon's own emergency broadcast systems had overrid Edge's when the phone crisis hit. That wasn't to say some people working with telecommunications didn't hear it, along with the same results. But they also managed to note that whoever was broadcasting in Edge was trying to shift it to every frequency and amplitude, and was trying to bombard their own radio systems with it. To the credit of Junon workers (who, indeed, were many veterans from old wars where communication was key, and knew how to deal with jamming and counter-intelligence transmissions), they cut it off quick. But now, the local authorities were beginning to see something happening. This was all originating from Edge. Coupled with that the fact that reports of missing persons were beginning to come in regarding people who had driven to Edge and not come back, and the police had soon put up a roadblock on the main way into town. No one went in or out.

However, all of this mattered little to the Turks. Their main concern was that their job was now bust, and they were stuck again with dwindling money reserves. After all, Edge was the domain of Cloud and company. They could handle it. Even if not, all radio communications were dead and routes blocked off to the town. The only way in now was through helicopter, and they saw no reason to go there on that added cost.

"If you're scho pissed…take it outta my gym memberschip…" Reno continued with another wave of his hand, followed by another swig. "Don't need it anyway…"

Elena groaned and crossed her arms again. She looked like she would clam up, however. She realized after all these years that arguing rarely accomplished anything. However, the silence didn't last that long. Rude had just turned back, and Elena had been just about ready to think about going back for the evening, when a voice called over them all.

"Hey! Guys!"

Reno's face, what was visible of it from his position, turned darker. "Terrific… Here comes Miss Sunshine Bringer right now…"

Elena and Rude themselves didn't show their discontent, but they were a bit testy themselves at Krystea. They had to be more selective in their jobs because of her nowadays. Ever since she came back to work after becoming "herself" again, she wasn't the same Turk. She wasn't easy about killing anymore. She wouldn't let them take jobs from more "questionable" clients either. She looked like she was trying to make honest people out of them, or at least morally in-line. It was sickening Reno. Elena complained before that she was becoming too much like her sister/twin/clone/whatever. It had been alright to take it for a while, but now that they were coming on potentially harder times it wasn't so great. Krystea couldn't even cover their losses because she had given away all her money to Aerith's orphanage. What was especially annoying about losing the latest job was that it was one that Krystea was actually enthusiastic about, if for no other reason than it meant going back into Edge.

Soon thereafter, the fourth Turk was running up to the others. "I knew I'd find you guys here so I came here first. I'm surprised you two don't have reserved seats."

"New bar…remember?" Reno grumbled. "We only went to this one five timesch a week before…"

Krystea ignored this and kept going. "That guys who they caught who got real busted up…I finally got something over the police radios we bugged. He's awake, apparently. And he's not red-eyed and nuts like the others."

This stimulated a bit of interest from the others. Not much, but some. They turned slightly to Krystea on hearing this. There had been one other prisoner taken alive…if you defined alive as breathing, heartbeating, and vague brain functions. While wrestling with one crazy, an officer had pushed him into a road, where he was hit by a bus going around forty miles an hour. Almost even long bone in the body was broken, and so was the spine. They rushed him to the ER and had managed to save his life, although he'd be paralyzed from now on, and stablized him, albeit in a coma. He'd been out since then.

"So did he say anything?" Elena asked.

Reno snorted a bit. "Asschumin' he can work hisch mouth an' do more 'an drool…"

"He did." Krystea answered. "He didn't know why he was there or how he got there."

"…Not unusual." Rude spoke up. "Posttraumatic amnesia."

"I'm not so sure." Krystea answered. "Apparently, the last thing he did remember was answering a call on his phone. After that, the only thing he can remember is having dreams of some girlfriend he had in high school…someone who died in a car accident…telling him to do things with her."

The other Turks turned and looked to each other at this. That was unusual, and was enough to stimulate a bit more interest on their parts.

"That's weird." Elena mentioned as she scratched her temple. "I don't think I ever heard of anything like that… I mean, we've all been assuming until now that some sort of hypnotizing signal or something is going through the airwaves. That's crazy enough to think of in the first place…I mean, Shinra never had any methods to do that." She turned to their more drunken member. "What do you think?"

Reno snorted a bit as he turned a little more on his barstool, aiming out to Krystea. It appeared he actually had enough interest to give her a bit of attention. Before moving any further, however, he formed a palm with his hand and, a bit to Elena and Krystea's shock, slapped himself hard across the face, actually dislodging his own goggles and leaving a large red mark. His eyes widened, seeming surprised at his own power, but after blinking a bit he looked as if he had magically become more sober for doing that.

"The old President…during his early administration, they tried using variations on truth serum on prisoners. One was this really nutty hallucinagen. Somewhere around 80 percent of the time the guy committed suicide, usually in a really crazy way. But the 20 percent that remained would see all sorts of crazy stuff. If you were a really good interrogator and could pick up on it, or so old Tseng used to tell me, you could pretend to be someone they knew and could get more out of them. That's all I know."

Elena was confused. "That doesn't make any sense. First it was brainwashing, now it's hallucinagens? If that was the case, then how come only the people who answered their phones or listened to the radio hallucinated? If they gave some drug to everyone in town, how come we all aren't feeling it?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that's how they're controlling everyone." Krystea answered. She turned to Rude. "Any luck with the messages we picked up?"

Although it was clear that the four Turks were unaffected, they had managed to obtain a bit of information about whatever signal had done this. It was fairly easy to find registered cell phones within the city with messages that had gone out at the same time. And for the Turks, they could even maneuver around to get some of the recordings from the radio. And since Rude was their technology whiz, he seemed to be the best for the job. Here, however, he looked nervous.

"Um…erm…" He fiddled with his tie.

"He's been keeping me company." Reno answered. "I hate drinking alone."

Both women groaned at this, rolling their eyes almost back into their skulls.

"Still…" Reno continued as he began to slide off of the stool and slowly get his feet underneath him. He moved stiffly and in small movements, seeming to be testing whether or not they would hold his weight. Only when he was sure did he keep moving. "This might be good timing… I think the city council might be more willing to meet our price right about now, seeing as more and more crap is hitting the fan. Why don't we go pay them a visit?"

Elena eyed Reno over. "Like that?"

The Turk groaned and fully put his weight on his feet. A moment later, and he shoved himself upright, standing perfectly erect. He reached out and adjusted his coat and calmly brushed some hair out of his face. When he spoke, you might almost think he was totally sober.

"Elena…you've known me for years, and you still don't understand I can my level of drunkenness on and off in the proper situation?"

The woman could only frown and cross her arms. Rude soon began to go up to fall in alongside him. However, as soon as he was standing, he turned to him and made a stopping gesture.

"I'd rather you head back and get that message looked at." Reno cautioned him. "Now seems like a good time to do it. May give us another bargaining chip to get the town to meet our price. Just don't listen to the damn thing. See if you can run it through a syllable translator and make out what it says on paper."

Rude seemed a little put off that his responsibility had been shoved to one side, but let out an exhale before tightening his tie and making himself more proper.

"Unless _that_ brainwashes you too…" Elena murmured.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Reno answered with a shrug. "Let's hit the road."

* * *

Junon itself was built against one of the steeper and higher cliff formations currently on Gaia. Severe erosion of lots of weak soil following the Collapse could be blamed for that. This had formed in a few hundred years. It was fairly stable now, due both to man-made innovation but also due to the ocean wearing away all the way toward the bedrock and being unable to move further.

The point being in all this was that the almost vertically climbing city was easily viewed if one ever managed to scale the cliffs. That was no small feat in and of itself. Scaling it from the cliff side was nigh impossible unless up one of the constructions that humans had built. The other side required hiking over rather tall and impassable mountains. Yet if one could make it that far, they would be able to see all that was going on below, especially at this time of night when all of the lights of the city were igniting, each vehicle was signifying its presence, and all the little machines and structures that made up the town were in full glow. And due to the darkness of night, it was quite easy to see a large airship slowly make its way down into the middle of the city's airfield.

It was long before it had landed that three of its passengers had already disembarked and taken their places on this very cliff. They had found no difficulty in reaching this vantage point…not with the powers they possessed. And now from this secure location, the three of them watched as the _Excalibur_ set itself down, its own lights blending in with the city's to practically make it disappear into the swirling lights if you didn't know where to look or had seen it land.

They too gave off their own lights: vivid yellow, icy blue, and fiery red. But against the glare of the large city below, they were easily swallowed up and forgotten by all but a handful of people lucky enough to look up that way. The three were quite secure and safe in their positions…

Which was why Ifrit felt no need to restrain himself from snorting at the scene below.

"Look at those humans down there… They messed up this whole landscape…filled it with those ugly little lights… Not one of them is a warm fire's glow…"

"We can comment on the choice of décor later." Shiva flatly answered. "There's only three of us now, and we're all going to have to pull more duty than we can."

"A city so huge…" Quetzacoatl murmured. "And so filled with lights…each one of them echoing with my source of power. There's no way we can search an area this huge without being seen."

"Then we will have to concentrate our senses on other esper intruders and keep a focus on our human companions, and count on them to find her." Shiva answered. "Quetzacoatl, guard the skies. Ifrit, come with me. We'll find the main entrances to this town and see what we can do to fortify them."

* * *

The horrid shell creature scraped its trident spikes against the ground slowly. Its lips parted, revealing just how wide its sharp beak opened, although it had no teeth. Its small lidless eyes scanned around it, trying to see the source of its attraction…something that had made the air a bit warmer. As a cold blooded creature, the slightest temperature change in its native sewers was clear as day to it.

Its two companions had already halted, and were staring at it as it scanned its surroundings. In the darkness, they looked little more than twisted armored soldiers of some sort. Unlike many of their monstrous brethren, Sahagin lacked large lungs or teeth or eyes that could accent their presence. Of course, in a dark sewer, that made them all the more dangerous. You could never hear one sneaking up on you. Then again, they weren't at their best either. They preferred to lurk in spillways and maintainence ducts of the old sewers near where water was flowing. Once there, they could easily hear prey or victims splash in the water as they drew near, and then leap upon them with tridents drawn. Here, in a non-storm sewer, there was no such luxury.

_"Why'd you stop?"_ One of them finally spoke in their clicking, raspy language. It showed its impatience. Sahagin hated to move again once stopped. It cost lots of effort, and they only wanted to do so if absolutely necessary.

_"Thought I sensed some warm air down here…"_ The other one grunted as it continued to look around. _"Think it's flesh…"_

The first growled slightly, and then looked into the air as well. From his position, he could sense nothing. And Sahagen, not being the brightest or most social creatures in the world, always reasoned that if oneself couldn't sense or detect it, it didn't exist. _"I don't smell anything! Get your head out of your shell and come on!"_

The Sahagin hesitated and growled again. Once more, it sniffed the air and looked about it. However, the warmth was gone. The cold stillness of the sewer was coming back. And without the warmth to arouse it, the creature was getting irritable and miserable again itself.

The first had already turned. Its companion stayed behind, however, looking toward the smelling one. At that, it hissed and slapped it against the chest with its fist, getting it to snap back to him. _"I said come on! I ain't getting punished by the master for you toads!"_

The one who was stuck growled, but didn't desire a fight. It was far too costly and with little benefit to weaker Sahagin. And so, with a snarl, it began to follow. The one who was smelling, with a small brain and a small attention span, gave one last snort at the air, as if accusing it of being a coward by not producing the source of the smell, and then turned and began to walk off again after them. Soon, their flat scaly feet were fading in the distance as they walked off into the darkness and whatever task awaited them. The sewer was quiet again.

Only then did a lithe figure suddenly drop from the ceiling of the cylindrical sewer walls and land on the ground, immediately dropping into a squat. Yet despite the height, she made not the slightest sound, and immediately rose and looked up again. Soon, another set of legs, thicker ones, began to slowly dangle down. She grabbed these and helped them down as gently as possible, trying not to make any noise. The slightest sound sent a rather loud echo throughout the whole chamber. As soon as the first set of legs and their owner was out, more soon came, the last one, another girl, with a pale green creature riding on her shoulders.

"That's the fifth time since we got here…" Denzel whispered in a groan.

Shelke didn't answer, but she would have scolded him for not seeing the obviousness of it all to begin with. Each step was bringing them closer to DeepGround, and this corridor was one of the wider ones and, therefore, one of the more guarded ones. It was only thanks to Diablos that they had been able to escape so far, each time utilizing a similar method to what they had just done by leaping for one of the overhead manhole tunnels and hiding along the rung ladder. Sahagin were vicious near water, where each one of your moves was telegraphed and amplified. But on bare ground, all of their senses were far inferior to that of a human. They could easily be evaded.

Once they were all down and ready, however, Shelke beckoned them on, and once more they began to move down the corridor. Despite how quiet they tried to be, there were inevitable echoes. Only Shelke and Carbuncle (who got off Marlene's shoulders with a "hoity toity" air as soon as they landed) were truly silent, the latter because he had furry, velvet paws. Even Azure could not be totally silent, although he was much softer than the other two. At any rate, the volume was being kept down to a minimum. And if Sahagin were all that they had to worry about, then they might as well be ghosts for as well as the monsters could hear.

It had taken some time to get this far. They were coming up on the fourth and final kilometer, but getting to that point was not easy. This latest patrol had been rather sloppy. Some of the Sahagin they ran into searched far more earnestly. One even looked up at the manhole where they were hit, and craned its neck to try and get a better look. If their own group leader hadn't come to the (incorrect) conclusion that they had fled back down the tunnel and led the one looking at them away to go after them, Shelke would have been forced to initiate a fight and pretty much ruin any chance they had of getting through the area without suspicion. As it was, with only a kilometer to go, they were approaching the point where they had an extremely slim chance of success, which was always better than none.

Shelke kept careful track of the meters as they walked along. She had a good mental concept of accurate scientific measurements after having spent so much of her life plugged into various terminals and computer systems. She counted off another ten meters…then twenty…then thirty… It was a credit to her talents that she was able to keep her ears open for sounds of others approaching, and was also able to scan the area for a source of hiding in case trouble came. Fifty meters…sixty meters… Still nothing yet. Not even any red saucers. You had to have fairly keen eyes when looking ahead, and even sharper ears. This corridor was perfectly straight. Unless you had some way to sense the other person before they sensed you, you were out of luck. A hundred passed…then one hundred and twenty…

Then she caught it.

Footsteps.

Immediately, the woman came to a halt and put her hand out. Even as she did, stopping the others, she began to hear what sort of things were coming. These weren't like before… There was something more than Sahagin coming. It didn't sound human, and she wasn't sure exactly what it was. However, chances were it had more sensory abilities than a Sahagin. They had to find a good hiding spot.

The others initially went for the overhead passage, but ceased when they saw Shelke move to the side instead. This would make more noise, unfortunately, and it would be hardly sanitary. However, there was little for it. If they could be quiet enough, it would be where they needed to stay to be more out of sight. Shelke reached a small panel grating built into the side of the sewer. No doubt it was either another spillway gutter or perhaps a recycling channel into the sewage treatment plant. Most of them were sealed at this point, but a few had simply been considered too thin to allow humans through and were therefore not considered threats. Shelke saw in the darkness that this was one. She quickly reached it and seized the grating. With a mighty tug, she managed to yank it free from its mooring. Sure enough, just inside was a small space large enough for them to squeeze in if they got on their bellies that opened into either side into smaller ducts. She turned and beckoned them inside, and then quickly got in herself and threw her own body onto her stomach.

The sensation she got was not pleasant. It was still wet in here…and mucked with who knew what. Likely some mold or algae from the days when the sewer was still in use that stayed moist enough for this material to thrive. It felt rather slimy and oozed around her as she lay in it. Unfortunately, it was not visible from the prior darkness. As Marlene and Denzel plopped down next to her and produced a squishing sound, she could faintly see their faces turn unpleasant. Denzel just barely caught himself from making a noise. Azure, seeming to get the idea, brought up the grill behind him as he got in. However, before he did, Carbuncle ran in and plopped down next to them. On landing, he couldn't restrain himself.

"Damnit! I'm going to have to wash my fur!" He said in an angry whisper.

Denzel leapt on him to shut him up while Azure got inside dragging the grill behind him. As quietly as possible, he pulled it into the slot as he too lay down in the muck. Shelke had to admit, he was rather quiet as he pulled it back into place. Not silent, but passably quiet for Sahagin. Hopefully, whatever else was coming couldn't hear better. This was the best they could do. In this small space, they were shrouded by darkness and concealed behind a thick grill. You wouldn't be able to see them unless the light hit them right, and even then you'd have to look close to see if it was anyone. This concealed their heat and the muck, disgusting as it was, helped mask their scent. They were able to sit there and wait to see what new devilry came up.

Shelke's suspicions were soon confirmed, and the group knew it. Something much larger than before was shaking the ground slightly as it made its way forward. Maybe more than one. It had to be rather heavy. And its feet didn't make nearly as much noise as Sahagin claws. It made rather deep throated growls as it came forward too. It clearly wasn't a Sahagin. It was likely much bigger. One thing was clear, however. It was large enough to make the group uncomfortable as it neared.

A few moments later, they did get to see it. Or, more appropriately, them.

Shelke's earlier suspicions were correct. There were two Sahagin there. However, they were rather small and flimsy compared to their larger "pets" or whatever they were. Two monstrous humanoid creatures walked in front of them, chained to the hands of the Sahagin by spiked collars. Both were rippling with muscle, arms and feet twisted into horrible claws, hair long and greasy, and mouths filled with teeth and set below beady red eyes. They were rather monstrous to behold…grunting and seething with evil and viciousness. As they shook the ground and even them while moving forward, it wasn't long before the group was tensing up and hoping that they kept their distance. This place might have provided a good hiding place, but if they were found they'd be rats in a trap. And in the face of these hulking monsters, that possibility was not welcome…

Yet as Shelke did see the monstrosities…she couldn't help but feel strange.

_I've never seen a breed of creature like this before…and we weren't far enough along in genetic manipulation to make ones like this. Where did these things come from?_

If Shelke could have somehow divined the answer to this puzzle, she never had the chance. For at that moment, the large creatures stopped. The Sahagin leading them apparently didn't command them to do so, for they kept walking and nearly smashed into them. Instead…the two things turned and looked fully into the grating. Their teeth flashed as their red eyes set squarely on the four people and one esper.

The five went still as the grave.

It didn't matter, however. The monsters continued to glare at them. Their teeth parted and drool began to leak out. They started to growl as their red eyes, seeming to almost gleam through the darkness, narrowed on them. They looked like a hundred rabid dogs shoved into one body threatening to lunge forward, rip the bars down, and rend the soft flesh underneath. Low growls began to sound in their throats. In another moment, they would have turned into savage roars…

That was when both turtle creatures gave a yank on their chains, forcing their heads away.

_"Pay attention, worms!"_ One hissed…a rather funny comment to come from something who looked like a snack or chew toy for its "beast". That confirmed to Shelke that the eye color wasn't natural. Just as all before it, these monsters, whatever they were, were under the command of Diablos' influence as well. _"You'll have to replace our guard and monitor this hallway soon, so you better know how!"_ It accented this with a kick to the thing's rear, which maybe moved it a centimeter.

Despite this, the thing did not attack. It continued to snarl at the grating. So did its partner. But the two Sahagin only got angrier at this, and began to beat away at them, trying to get them to move. It took some work, but eventually, after enough hits, yanks on chains, and yells of protest, the two reluctantly shifted position and began to move away. Even then, they looked back quite a bit before the Sahagin forced them to look forward and keep moving. Eventually they did, and when that happened they fell in and kept walking. They were soon fading into the darkness just as the other patrol had before them.

When things were silent once again, the group sighed in a bit of relief.

"That was close." Marlene whispered.

"Can we get out of here now?" Carbuncle griped. "Ugh…I hope I'm not feeling a worm crawling into my coat…"

"That was too close…" Denzel continued, sounding more tense. "Those things knew where we were. If those two turtle guys hadn't been so stupid, we would have been nabbed."

"Seems Diablos is aware that Sahagin aren't the best guards for the facility." Shelke answered. "Once these new ones take over, we won't be able to hide again. We need to get on the move and get to the end as soon as possible."

* * *

Diablos' collection of "priests" emerged from the dark recesses of the inner temple and stood before him. The area had changed considerably. His temple was fully complete now, wrought with black pillars and obolisks, and filled with images of horrifying demons and creatures glaring on all who passed through the doors hungrily, as if they could jump out and devour them. The unearthly light that filled the braziers leading up to the front was not of this world, and seemed akin only to something like the ancient Temple of Chaos. Indeed…it was the same witchcraft that had made those that Diablos now had replicated for his own, although this place would serve another purpose.

The priests were used only for manual labor, although they were shrouded in black from their heads to their feet. Diablos had modified them only slightly, not to near the degree that he had done so for his main army. Just so they'd be more resilient and tireless, and more adapted to the dark. What he had done was barely visible at this point. They were shrouded so much that you could tell nothing other than they were humanoid, and their faces were concealed under black monstrous masks, depicting them as various horrible creatures.

"Have the last two been prepared?"

Masks nodded.

Diablos' teeth showed as he grinned. When he did, the edges of his mouth, now rotten, moist flesh, parted, revealing a wider mouth beneath. The skin around his eyes was beginning to flake, and loose bits of skin were hanging around several parts at this point. Sections of his skin were beginning to change colors. One tear in his flesh on his back had maggots growing in it, and flies periodically buzzed around him. Not that he cared. After all…it was just "clothing".

And right now he cared little for his appearance…only that the time was there at last.

His wings snapped out and outstretched to their full length. When one powerful flap, his body lifted from the ground and began to soar into the sky. Another beat sent him higher, pulling his long tail with him. Slowly he began to fly upward. Stretching before him was the temple, massive, black, and formidable. Based on its ziggurat-like ascention, Diablos was able to stretch over it as he moved up into the air and closer to the central roof. His priests vanished far below, as did any of his new guards waiting in the wings. He himself vanished into darkness as he neared the top. It wasn't until he had passed it that he banked forward and made to land on the roof.

It was simple enough. A somewhat large stone square. Four torches were mounted on all four corners. They were adorned with human skulls…real ones that Diablos had harvested and then covered with metals. They dripped off of them like candle wax, or even as if the skull was some sort of twisted remnant of a soul burning away beneath the flame overhead. This, like the fires within, was lit with ethereal light. Pale blue fires, like dead flesh, rose into the sky beneath the black cavern ceiling overhead. Here there was nothing but stone and the breeze of the black cave.

Diablos moved directly over the center before he returned his wings to his side, collapsing them but not forming them into a cape. His body dropped down and touched on the roof. Once it was there, he drew himself up to full height. With that same look of evil and smile on his face, he gazed out over the surrounding torches, but more importantly to what was far below them, deep within the heart of his temple. He knew what was there now…what would soon become his.

With that in mind, he extended his rotten hand, fully reaching out with his talons, and aimed it below at the stone beneath him.

"Give me your spirits, children…let them join your parents' within me…" He hissed. "…And give me the power to bend the entire planet to my will…"

Only silence greeted Diablos…but only for a moment. Suddenly, a sizzling sound ripped through the air. Moments later, the entire temple began to shudder. As it did, the sizzling sound continued, and began to increase in volume. As it did so…bolts began to snake up the four corners and travel to the roof. Yet they were not ones of electricity. They were blackness, just as Diablos' had been back when he fought the espers. Bouncing along the stones up the temple, they soon managed to reach the top. As they did, they condensed and gathered, becoming larger and more focused. They kept going up until at last they reached the four torches, one in each corner. Once there, they sank in, swirled, and then shot to the top of each fire, where they seemed to be absorbed into them like into an unearthly lightning rod. There they vanished.

As they did, the four fires suddenly blazed once again, this time gaining more of their unearthly light and shooting up three times as high. On seeing this, Diablos put his hands into fists and balled them at his sides. He looked up and prepared for the hit. It came a moment later. Beams of the same light energy suddenly erupted from each flame, tearing toward the center of the stone and straight into Diablos' chest. He gave out a mild cry of pain as the energies pierced him and sank into him. Then, he grit his teeth and beared with it.

Diablos' black body was soon lit up with the same light. It bathed him in the new aura as the power flowed into him. Each of the torches continued to burn into him, making his glow grow stronger and stronger as he stood there. He looked to be in some pain, but he held on as they fortified him. The fires slowly died down, but so long as they burned they continued to fill Diablos with their light. And he continued to take it in. A new burning sound began to travel through the air from his aura. It continued to grow, all the way until the torches were burned completely down…

Only then did the beams cut off. And once they did, not only did their light die, but so did their aura. Blackness shrouded the top of the temple as Diablos hunched over. His arms hung limply against the ground. Smoke rose from his body. He heaved like some great heavy beast, and paused for a few moments…

Then, he inhaled deeply one more time, and rose up to his full height again. His hands once again tightened into fists as he raised them up to his sides, flexing them. His yellow eyes opened and looked over his body. By now, his flesh garment was even more torn and ruined. The maggots and the flies alike were both dead. Yet the skin was just hanging from his limbs in some places. He inhaled again, and closed his eyes, feeling his new powers. Yes…he was much mightier now. His influence and magical ability had increased two…perhaps three fold.

_And yet…_

Diablos' look did not smile. He looked down from the temple to the area below. There was Lifestream beneath here. That or mako at least. He knew that. He stretched out his hand to it. He commanded it to come forth, bend itself to his will, and manifest its nature in his presence.

Nothing happened.

The Lifestream did not answer him.

Diablos' sharp teeth grit as his eyes filled with horrible rage.

_"It's not enough!"_

Furious, the esper snapped around and flung a ball of energy at one of the braziers. He meant to snap it off and send it flying below. Instead…his new power nearly exploded out of his arm and proceeded to break a large piece of the stone roof off of the main temple, send it flying across the stone ceiling into another stone wall, and smash it and obliterate it. Diablos cared little. Snarling again like a hellbeast, he turned and glared below at his priests. As if they were to blame for all this, he aimed his fingers at them. They stood obedient, willing to live and die at their master's command once under his control. They fulfilled the latter of those duties a moment later as black bolts struck them. The spell broke just as they were dying, so that their spirits were filled with anguish and misery. As a result, Diablos soon received another meal from their lives. Yet even then, he was unsatisfied. After all his work…he still hadn't the power?

For a moment…he feared he was wrong. That his theories had been incorrect. But that fear soon vanished. Impossible. With his knowledge, he knew that his theory was right. Enslaving all Cetra would enable him to have total power. So why didn't it work? Why couldn't he unleash the force? There could be only one explanation…

_There must be another…_

Growling one last time, the death esper walked to the edge of the roof and then simply began to jump down, easily clearing the large sections as he bounded down the side. He'd find the last Cetra. He would tear apart the database for the knowledge. And if he couldn't find it there, he'd tear apart every city in the world, slay every last creature on it, until he had it. One thing was certain. He was now all but unstoppable. Four espers had fallen easily before. Now an army couldn't stop him. And he'd soon have his own dark army to send and take this world. They were being fully equipped at the moment. Soon they'd have legions at his command.

_And I shall supplement our troops with one final legion as well…after I've ransacked the databases of this facility to find the one I need…_

* * *

"23…over. I'm sorry sir, you lose again."

Once again, Dio grinned from ear to ear as he helped himself to the gold points in the ante, and, once again, Rex began to sulk slightly. The other three "players" that had joined them threw down their cards to the dealer, but didn't seem to be that broken up about losing. That seemed obvious even to Rex. After all, each one was in a black suit and looked like their necks were as thick as their heads. He had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, they were in a certain someone's pocket…

They had gone to the Chocobo Square at the Gold Saucer, but they hadn't gotten to betting on races. Instead, Dio drew Rex aside into his private booth, one that had a large table, room for catering and lots of guests, cushioned armchairs, and a large window that overlooked a good quarter of the largest racetrack; and called in a dealer and "three friends" to play some rounds of Blackjack. Rex wasn't sure where Leviathan wanted to go with this, and the only directive he received was to play a few hands. Well, a few hands later, and Rex was out almost all of the money he had come in with. He wondered how exactly losing all of his cash was supposed to help them get the Lunarite…

Dio let out a chuckle as he stacked Rex's latest gold points onto his own pile. He shook his head at him. "You may like these games of chance, my friend, but they certainly don't like you. Much as I'm enjoying playing with you…I'd say quit now while you still have tram fare to get out of the park."

Rex couldn't help but feel rather abashed from his own position. He leaned back into his own cushioned chair, wishing he could shrink a little after the latest embarrassment of losing. He had never played this game before, but it was obvious he stunk at it. He hadn't won a single game yet. And he was feeling uncomfortable around the much older and larger people sitting to his left and right: Dio and a man on his left, two others on his right. Even the dealer ahead of him seemed ready to chuckle at him as he gathered the cards and began to shuffle them. He grimly looked down and saw that he only had a six gold points left to wager.

He groaned inwardly. _Do I have to keep going?_

_Just play again._ Leviathan's voice answered. _We're almost there._

Sighing, Rex grabbed five of the gold points that were left, minimum for a bet, and put them in. "Another round." He said very reluctantly.

Dio, and the others with him, let out a chuckle. "Don't think we're pressuring you, my friend. You can feel free to stop anytime. I'd hate to break a new acquaintance." Yet even as he said this, he beckoned the dealer to go again.

The dealer, in turn, rolled his eyes a bit at Rex and gave out the cards. Rex's first card up was a seven. Rex looked around the table a bit, and saw that Dio had only managed a five. Dealer had a ten. The next card was flipped over. Dio gained only another five. The dealer landed an eight. Rex himself got a six.

"Dealer stays." The dealer announced.

Rex hesitated a moment, and thought about his decision. The other big guys didn't have much of a hand. The first two on his right dropped out, both of them folding. Then it came to Rex. Fearing another overdraw like last time, the young man grudgingly gave his move. "Hit me."

The dealer drew a card, examined it, and raised his eyebrows with some impression. He then proceeded to hold it out and place it next to Rex's others. "Seven. Your total is 20."

The young man almost let out a sigh of relief. It looked like he was going to win for a change. Maybe his luck was finally taking a turn… It looked even better when the next one dropped out. That left Dio. He knew he would hit, but 20 was hard to beat…

"Hit me."

The dealer drew a card and examined it as well. Moments later, he let out a small chuckle and a smile, and placed next to Dio's two fives…an ace.

Rex's hopes sunk like a cement raindrop.

"Blackjack. You win again, sir."

Dio let out another amused chuckle as he reached out and raked in the latest supply of gold points. He shook his head as he grinned. "I tell you, my friend, I should take you with me gambling. I think you're my good luck charm…" The other men grinned and snickered at this. The dealer himself smiled a bit as he raked in the cards again.

Rex himself sank back further and was more than ready to leave. It seemed he'd have to at this point. He only had one gold point left, not enough for the minimum bet. This seemed like a colossal waste of time…

_Alright…now._

Abruptly, the young man sat up a bit in his chair, his face turning confused as it looked out. Luckily, none of the others seemed to notice, too busy counting up their winnings.

_Huh?_

_Play him again. This time, I'll tell you what to do. Just make sure to look at all of them and the dealer so that I can see them through your mind's eye._

Rex couldn't help himself. He groaned. _Are you crazy? You want me to play again? I don't have any money left!_

_Trust me. Ask him for one last game._

Rex grimaced and frowned. He hated this. This would be the most embarrassing of all…asking to waste his last gold point. However…he went with the esper. Drawing in a deep breath, he managed to spit out…

"…Another round."

The dealer and Dio both paused and looked to him.

"I'm sorry, my friend. The game is over." Dio answered.

Rex swallowed, trying not to turn red at this. He bowed his head and looked around at the table, but then inhaled again and spoke once more. "…One more round."

"I think not, my friend." Dio replied. "You cannot make the minimum bet."

Rex hesitated again, but then forced himself to protest. "If I can win this next hand, I'll have enough."

"It would be most impolite of me…" Dio answered with a gesture toward himself. "To ruin our new acquaintance by sending you to the poorhouse. You have nothing left after this. And I never play on credit. It leads to…impaired relationships, if you know what I mean…" This last word had a tone that was a bit too sinister for Rex's tastes.

_Say you'll quit if you lose this one._

Sighing again, the young man continued. "If I lose this one, that's it. I'll stop. You can throw me out or whatever." _Did I actually just say that? Oh man…_ "Just one credit hand. That's all. Just one more."

Dio looked at him a moment after this. He seemed to be thinking him over. Time slowly ticked by, and Rex held on and waited. The dealer looked up to his boss and waited for the verdict. Rex himself tried not to tap his fingers or shake his legs. After what seemed like an eternity, Dio finally gave a shrug.

"Very well…one hand with only a single gold point wager. After that, we are finished." With that, he looked to the dealer and snapped his fingers. "You heard the man. Another round."

Letting out a whistle and an uneasy look, the dealer shrugged and once again dealt out the cards. Rex nearly let his head sink so he could give out a sigh and mope…when a voice yelled at him.

_Look at the cards! Now!_

Almost immediately, Rex's eyes snapped open and his head flew up, instantly watching the dealer and his movements. A sigh went off in Rex's brain from the esper, while the other men looked at him with some puzzlement. It was starting to seem to them that this young man had something wrong with him. After once again enduring some embarrassment, however, Rex saw him look away and back to their hands, but not before he had watched each card get dealt out and the first card for each person overturned. Soon they were all out, and the game had once again begun.

Rex paid attention only to his cards this time. The first was high: a ten. Then the dealer went about and flipped the next card. When he got to Rex, he once again had a ten. His point was 20. He exhaled a bit at the sight. He looked up, and saw that everyone once again everyone was beneath him, and had to hit. The first two did so. One went over, the other stayed below Rex. It came to him.

_Alright, hit._

Rex's eyes widened at the suggestion, despite the secrecy of it.

_Say what? I've got twenty!_

_Trust me. Hit._

The youth swallowed once, but wasn't about to disobey the esper. In the end, he ruefully spat out his play. "Hit me."

Dio let out a chuckle, bowed his head, and shook it in dismay, as if to say, "You poor stupid player". The dealer himself gave a smirk. "…Are you sure you wish to do that, sir?"

Rex gave a grimace. "Not at all…"

_Rex!_

He bolted upright. "Um…hit me!" He nearly yelped.

The dealer sighed and shook his head. He drew another card and placed it next to his. Rex looked up and groaned, fearing to see what it was. With his luck, he'd hit 30 points on this next round. He was sure that was what he was hearing remarked when a whistle came from the dealer. Sighing himself, Rex looked down to his three card hand.

His jaw nearly hit the floor.

The card was an ace.

"Blackjack, sir."

Dio himself let out another chuckle. "Well, well…seems luck is in your favor for a change, my friend. That is, unless I also get Blackjack. Keep in mind, in case of a tie, the house wins. And since I own the house…" The next man folded, and the play went to Dio. He had thirteen total. "Hit me." He told the dealer.

Another card went out. A seven.

"20, sir."

Dio hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. In the end, he gave a smile to the young man. "Fortune favors the bold, and it favored you this time. Hit me."

The dealer paused a moment, but then dealt out the card.

"Nine. Sorry sir, you've gone over."

Dio's smile faded, and with a resignated sigh, he moved back into his seat. The dealer went over and so did the next man who wanted another hit. Soon, the dealer turned to Rex with a nod.

"You win, sir."

Rex almost slumped in his own seat at that as he had his whopping five gold points shoved his way. He couldn't believe it. He finally won a hand…for all the good it did him. He wiped his brow in some relief as he got his winnings. The dealer took up the cards and began to shuffle them again.

_Keep watching the dealer. _Leviathan's voice instructed. _Say you think your luck is changing. Put another wager._

"I think my luck's about to change. I'll put in the minimum bet this time."

Dio tilted his head toward him. "Hmm…you were lucky this round, my friend. But your fortune may not hold this time. And you will truly be broken after this. You've had your one single point round."

Rex looked up to him, but maintained his expression. Drawing in a breath, he put his winnings forward. "I think my luck's changing. Another round."

Dio let out a sigh and leaned back. Then he turned to the dealer and gave a nod. "I suppose it's only fair to allow you to win back your losses."

Once again, the dealer passed out the cards. Rex was much more attentive this time, keeping his eye on them as they went out. In fact, he was almost too overt.

_Just keep them in your line of sight. Don't telegraph it._

Rex stopped a bit at that, and nearly nodded in agreement. Luckily, he managed to stop himself just in time before anyone could stare, which wasn't easy. Once again, the cards were dealt. This time, Rex received an eight on his first card. To his unease, each of the others got a ten. The second card of the next was a four. He hit, receiving another ten and went over. The next one had a three. He too hit, getting only a two. When it came to Rex, he had a five.

"15, sir."

_Stay._

Again, Rex was astonished.

_With just fifteen? The guy next to me already has that…_

_Trust me._

"…I'll stay."

The next one uncovered a four. He hit for an eight, also going over. Then it came to Dio. He uncovered a two and hit for an ace, forced to take 13. The dealer himself had fifteen. He hit again for seven, going over. Then it was back to the first. He hit for another ten…also going over. Finally, it was Dio's turn. "Hit me."

The dealer gave another card…a second ace.

"14, sir."

"Hit me."

The dealer dealt again…a ten.

"24. I'm sorry, sir."

Dio looked up to Rex and gave a chuckle. "Well, there was a Blackjack in there somewhere. Just didn't come at the right time, eh?"

The dealer proceeded to shove 25 gold points in front of Rex. "You win again, sir."

Rex could hardly believe it. Against five other players, what were the odds of winning with 15? He had no idea…but he had a feeling Leviathan knew. He was also starting to see how he was winning. Now that a smidgen of his fortune had come back, he was beginning to feel fortunate again. At least he wasn't an embarrassment now…

The young man held up a finger. "Another round."

Over the next thirty minutes, Rex enjoyed the best game of his life. With Leviathan guiding him, he won every hand. Neither Dio, the dealer, nor any of the other players could even tie him. His pile of gold points grew from 25 to 125 to 525 to 2625. In no time at all he had won all of his money back. Dio's casual appearance and smile, however, gradually began to change. As Rex flawlessly knew when to hit and when to stay and managed to trump him every time, his smile began to dim. The fact that Rex was always one higher than him slowly turned his demeanor south. And it wasn't just him, either. The other players began to progressively look darker and darker as they stared at Rex. While the young man might have been oblivious to it, basking in his new success, the air in the room was turning quite grim.

Rex was actually smiling a bit as he pulled in his latest batch of winnings. This game wasn't so bad anymore. And now he was sure that they thought better of him at least. He had to appear less pathetic. As soon as he had them in, he once again held up his finger. "Another round."

"I think not. The game is over."

As this was the second time this response was given, but the first in the cold tone of voice, it caused Rex to look up in some confusion over to Dio. His face, however, was no longer friendly. In fact, his gaze was leveled at Rex and was rather hard. His jaw was set sternly. As the young man stared at it…his confidence and momentary happiness began to erode. Only now did he start to realize, being so foreign to the world of gambling, that he had won a few too many times in a row. Losing was one thing, but he was raking in quite a bit of money now. And he had been flawlessly winning for a while as well, all while betting his entire pot every time. It stood to reason that if he bet all of his original money on this next hand, he would start taking out quite a chunk of change from Dio's pocket.

Rex's face looked somewhat more reserved as well as he looked off of Dio and to his side. However, there wasn't anything better there. The player next to him was glaring at him even more darkly…even threateningly. The young man swallowed, and then looked away from him and to his other side. The other two were glaring at him much the same way…and their muscles seemed to have suddenly grown. One of them began to crack his knuckles. At the sound of each snap, Rex's heart seemed to skip a beat and his flesh turned a bit paler.

He looked back ahead to the dealer, and after pausing a moment managed a sheepish grin. "Um…yeah…no more rounds. Game's over. Alright gentlemen, I'll just take my winnings and go. Wound up even after all…" His arms began to go out for the gold points, even as he pushed up and away from the table.

Two meaty hands clamped on his shoulders and immediately shoved him back into the seat. Rex's arms went flaccid and almost slid off the table and back to his sides as he found his much smaller body suddenly put back in place. The dealer himself paled a bit, and quickly began to clean up his own effects as Dio and his players, now most likely goons, turned their full attention toward the new gambler.

"Not just yet, my friend…" Dio continued, still in a dark voice. "I believe that since I gave you credit on that first round, you owe me eighty percent of your winnings."

Rex was beginning to sweat a little at this point, but he still turned to Dio in confusion. "I thought we agreed we were only going to play for one gold point that round…?"

"Furthermore…" Dio cut off in a cold voice. "Since I charge interest per round, you now owe me just about all of your winnings. I'll leave you just enough to take the tram out of here and never come back."

Rex blinked at that. He turned to the goons, Dio, and then the dealer, who had finished packing up and was now getting up to go out. He figured he was in a rather bad spot at this point. Looking as innocent as possible, he looked back to Dio. "Just because I got a feel for the game…"

"You got a feel alright." Dio snorted. "You think I'm a fool? That I don't recognize it when a player is counting cards? Granted, I think you were the best at it so far…but there's no other way you're winning this game so easily. The penalty for cheating at the Gold Saucer at any game of gambling is to spend five years inside the Corel Desert Prison."

Rex's flesh turned white. He heard horror stories about that place…about how 90 percent of the inmates didn't last more than one day…about how 90 percent of those remaining dehydrated in a week…and the rest had to endure beatings, hunger, inter-prison killing, and all sorts of other hardships and threats to one's well being and sanity. Spending even a day in there would be enough to ensure his death…let alone five years of desert torture…

"Hand over your winnings, and I'll overlook it." Dio answered. "I won't ask again."

The young man swallowed again.

_Leviathan…I really could use your help right about now…_

_Relax. We have him right where we want him. Insist on your innocence._

_That's what I've been doing!_

_Insist harder!_

"I tell you…I just had to get a feel for the game. I didn't cheat. I swear. I can just read other people, that's all."

Dio crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that? With just your word? I've had enough of this." He raised his hand and snapped to the goons. "Take him to the hatch."

Rex's sweat doubled as the goons moved their hands under his arms to drag him up.

_Say you can prove it._

"I can prove it!" Rex nearly screamed.

"Now." Dio flatly ordered.

The men began to drag Rex up and out of his seat. Panicking, Rex reached out with his legs and hooked them around the table legs, trying to keep himself from going anywhere. The goons stood up and moved behind him, and began to pull to force him out…

_I'll prove it to you with one more game, but not of Blackjack._

"I can prove it to you with a different game!"

Dio stayed still for a moment. The men pulled away at Rex, beginning to drag his feet off of the table legs. However, just before the tips of his shoes could give way and he went totally into their power, he put up a hand to them. Briefly, they stopped pulling, leaving Rex hovering over the ground with his arms in their arms and his feet barely clinging to the Blackjack table.

"Go on." Dio continued as he crossed his arms again.

_Repeat what I say exactly, Rex…_

As he spoke, Rex immediately spoke back to Dio.

"Play me in one more game. Any game you want. Stack the odds against me however you want them. I don't care how high, so long as there is the remotest possibility that I can win. Everything can be in your favor. I have nothing in mine. If I can beat you in that game, I go free with the winnings. If I lose…" Rex caught himself on hearing Leviathan's words…and only slowly tumbled out the remaining phrase. "…I'll go to prison."

The owner hesitated on hearing this. He looked Rex over and sized him up once again. Rex patiently waited, still suspended, although it was creating a terrible strain on his ankles. He hoped Leviathan was guessing him right. Otherwise he was toast…or bacon…or whatever else was fried or roasted… He almost wondered if being beaten to death by these goons would be preferable to the prison…and had fantasies of dodging bullets and being cut up by switchblades… He was still, however, and continued to wait for the answer.

In the end…Dio's smile returned. He looked to the remaining goon.

"Get Joe on the cellular. I'm calling him in for a special exhibition race…"

_To be continued..._


	24. Wall of Flesh

The mayor didn't do much for stereotypes. Being bearded, white haired, and short and squat, he was reminiscent of your basic local politician type who wasn't good for much. This one was a bit better, if for no other reason than he wasn't just some puppet of Shinra. Yet when it came right down to it, unless you were in a time of war, what good were these local leaders?

Office was nice enough. They had been there before, after all. It was the same as under the Shinra administration. Circular shaped with the doors somewhat inset in the back. Both were heavy, oak, and detailed. In front of them was a large window pane overlooking most of the city of Junon. Set right in front of it was a large desk covered with papers, reports, and other materials that must have piled up as of late. There were quite a few cabinets in the room as well, likely filled with lots of materials and hard copies as well, but all of them were shut up at the moment. They could have been emptied and dumped on the man's desk, considering how much stuff was on them. His computer was humming from being nearly overheated, and his phone had lights all over it beeping. The man himself sat behind the desk in a suit and tie, both of which looked unchanged and haggard. He himself was starting to get a little stubble going.

His eyes were bloodshot as they glared at the three before him, and his expression was anything but pleasant.

"You're asking me to subvert our local government system in the middle of a crisis. This kind of amount, assuming we had it, which we don't, would require massive agreement on the part of the city council to free up for payment."

Reno, in response, flashed a casual smile at the mayor of Junon as he leaned forward and placed his arm on his desk, using it as a prop to lean over. He was much more sober by now. After all, it had been hours since they left the bar. It had taken that long to get an audience with the mayor. Reno hadn't cared that much. After all, he needed to give Rude time to work. Elena stood stoic and still, still the picture of the businesswoman, in the back, letting Reno handle the talking.

"Well, that's what nice little heads of executive branches like yourself are for, Mr. Mayor. To overrule local authories in a crisis. And believe you me…" He said as he began to go for the cigarette near his ear. "You have one hell of a crisis."

"Exactly." The mayor flatly answered, not likely Reno's gesturing toward putting the cigarette in his mouth and getting out a lighter next. "And for two million gil we could hire all sorts of private defense firms."

"Quality over quanity is all I have to say to that." Reno answered simply as he held the lighter up. "Mind if I smoke in here?"

"Yes."

Reno lit the cigarette regardless and put away the lighter. After taking in a long drag, he puffed it out into the air. "…Shame."

The fists of the politician tightened.

"The Turks always finish a job, Mr. Mayor. And we're the best in the business. Each one of us is worth a hundred hired mercenaries. We're cleaner and more efficient too."

"Well, I'll have you know we're not to that point just yet." The mayor retorted. "And even if we were, the city does not hire thugs to do its business. And even if we did, the Turks would hardly be the first name on our lists. We don't value things according to simply how good they are at underhanded tasks."

"Spoken like a man who truly lets principle get in the way of more important things." Reno answered as he exhaled a large puff of smoke in the man's face…not only making him wince and cough, but also turning his face a bit redder and making him grit his teeth a bit harder.

Elena sighed from where she was and rolled her eyes. "I don't think this is helping, Reno…"

Even as she finished saying this aloud, however, a ringtone went off in the room. This caused the mayor and Reno both to turn and look to Elena. She herself looked to her pocket, and a moment later dipped her hand inside. A few moments later, and she emerged with her cellular. She quickly looked at the front, and then turned up to Reno, who patiently waited for an explanation.

"It's Rude."

As Elena flipped it open to answer it, Reno flashed a wider smile and turned back to the mayor. "And now, it seems as if my associate has just made us a bit more valuable. We have information that your boys don't, and that's going to make us well worth the two million gil." With that, he turned back to Elena and leaned a bit more against the mayor's desk. The politician himself kept his frown, and if anything made it worse due to Reno's increasing disrespect. But the Turk didn't care. "So, what's the good word from my main man, Elena?"

Elena was still listening to the phone when Reno responded to her, and covered her ear to listen more intently to it for a few moments after his inquiry. After that, her face turned somewhat confused, and she looked back up to Reno.

"Maybe you should get on the line, Reno. I'm not really understanding this."

The Turk's smile faded as he let out a sigh. Luckily, all the Turks were networked for just such an occasion. He quickly dropped his cigarette on the mayor's office floor and extinguished it with his foot, making the man raise a finger and try to protest, only to be a moment too late. After that, he reached in his own pocket, and pulled out his own cellular. He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Reno here."

_"It's Krystea, Reno. Rude's turning up something real weird. The syllables aren't making any sense. Everything's in some sort of strange language so we can't get the words right."_

Reno frowned a bit more at this. "Not exactly a good bargaining chip considering where I'm standing…" He murmured into the phone, mostly under his breath to anyone else in the area. "Any leads?"

_"I'm cross referencing the Cosmo Canyon database. I'm not pulling out much…but I'm getting a few really bizarre phrases…like, 'sacrifice your soul to desire' and 'give me your blood to drink'. The language that they're from is one that was used by oracle cults that used hypnotic trances to try and divine the will of their heathen gods. They would sing these hypnotic songs to the oracles. Yet from what I'm seeing…they never used this kind, not with these words…"_

Reno thought about this for a moment. Weird indeed…but he was more concerned with how they could make a profit from it. It wasn't much to go on, but it was something. And so, with that in mind, his smile returned as he lowered his phone. He turned his head around toward the mayor once again.

"Well now…seems we've come into possession of some unique information. I think that gives the Turks an edge that no other hired group or officer can present."

The mayor leaned back and crossed his arms. "…So now it's blackmail."

"I prefer to call it 'negotiations', but I never was that good at that part of the job." Reno answered with a smile.

The mayor showed his teeth again, but Reno knew better. He had a feeling the old man was finally breaking down. He was willing to let another pause of silence go by. However, as he did…another sound soon became audible. It was coming from the other side of the doors. It was someone shouting. On hearing it, both Reno and the mayor forgot about their conversation and turned back to the doorway along with a confused Elena. The sound rapidly became louder and stronger, soon with words becoming audible. Some man was demanding to be let in, and seemed to be struggling outside the main doorway. They were making quite a ruckuss. Whoever the doorman was, the speaker wasn't taking no for an answer. And on hearing all this…Reno couldn't help but feel his mood sink again. His face began to droop as he let out an irritated sigh…

_Not now…I've just about got this guy to crack!_

But it was too late. Before either he or Elena could do anything else, the doorway suddenly burst open from the power of someone breaking in. Two figures immediately rushed into the office, practically running inside to cross the threshold. A couple of officers tried to stop them, ones that Reno recognized as the door guard from when they came in, but they were easily forced aside by those who now entered. When Reno saw who it was, his spirits sank even further.

Mack and Yuffie from the old Planet Protector Army.

They looked right past Reno as they entered and straight to the mayor. Well…Mack did at least. Yuffie took a moment to scan the area and see who was in the room. She soon crossed her arms.

"Oh…it's _you_ guys again…"

Elena's hands balled into fists on hearing this, and she glared at her. "Just what's that supposed to mean?"

Yuffie looked back and put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

Elena's eyes shot open wide as her face turned red. "What did you say?!"

Ignoring this, although he did roll his eyes and groan, Mack focused on the politician at the desk. "Mr. Mayor…we need to talk right now."

"It can wait." Reno flatly answered, putting a hand out in front of him to stop Mack. "You guys can do the pro-bono work after we've secured our contract. I don't ruin your flight franchise. Don't cut in on my market."

Mack turned his attention to Reno after that. "You need to hear this too, Reno. Is Krystea here?"

Elena turned away from Yuffie moments before pulling out her fire materia, and instead crossed her arms and glared at him. "What's it to you if she is?"

"She's in trouble and so's the rest of the city." Mack answered. "We tried getting in here as quick as we could. I tried waiting patiently, but when I heard you guys were talking in here I busted right in. We've got big problems concerning all of us…"

* * *

_Here we are…_

This train of thought went through Denzel's head as the small group finally made its way to the end of this current road. They were still in the main sewer for the time being, but they were nearly out. Shelke had taken them right up to one of the overhead sewer exits. And now that they were there, she leapt and grabbed the ladder rung and began to pull herself up and out. The others were following right behind. Only this time it wasn't to hide. It was because they were at the end of the four kilometer trek toward the center of DeepGround. Now it was time for another directional change…

Shelke went up first. Marlene went second, with Carbuncle riding on his back. Denzel began to pull himself up next, but he had barely grabbed onto the bottom rung when he was forced to stop. Shelke was hesitating on the top rung. Denzel waited a bit anxiously at the bottom. He and Azure were still exposed. If a guard was to come by, they'd need to go for cover pretty quickly. He resisted the urge to tap his foot as he anxiously waited…

Suddenly, he heard a shift of metal overhead. It sounded like a manhole cover opening. A second later, and he heard a rather loud smash. It was something distant from where they were, but still more than loud enough to send a sharp peal of noise through the now open covering overhead and into the tunnel below. Denzel almost winced on hearing it. Their cover had to be blown after that. He felt himself begin to sweat as he nervously looked back to the sewer, expecting someone to come for them at any second…

Finally, the line overhead moved. Shelke pulled herself out. Marlene followed with Carbuncle. Seeing this, Denzel quickly yanked himself up onto the rungs and came out as well. As soon as he had his feet onto the ladder and was on his way up too, Azure followed behind. Moments later, and he too was climbing out of the open manhole into their new area.

On emerging into this new zone, Denzel quickly looked up and around. Carbuncle had already dismounted, and Shelke and Marlene were standing by. He quickly drew himself up to his full height along with them and turned about. Much to his dismay, this place resembled the interior workings of the New Shinra HQ Dome. Only dirtier and in far more disrepair. It didn't exactly bring a lot of fond memories back. Knowing that they were underground in a high mutant area didn't help. It was even darker in here, practically pitch black. The only source of illumination was from the open manhole cover that they had removed to come up there. There was one small source of comfort, however. There was lots of machinery noises in here, and it seemed as if they were secluded from danger.

Azure pulled himself out. As soon as he did, Shelke, nearby with the manhole cover, lowered it back over the entrance. She did give out another noise that made Denzel wince when she put it down, no doubt sending an echo again below them. However, she didn't seem to care. Once it was back in place, the room's light was cut off and they were plunged into blackness. Yet that only lasted a moment. There was a sound of fumbling, before a click went out and a flashlight came on. Shelke had turned on hers. With it now turned on, it immediately turned to focus on one point in the room, and the girl began to walk toward it.

"Aren't we making a little too much noise?" Denzel whispered softly, but with just enough emotion to accent his anxiety about it.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Shelke answered with a, surprisingly, louder whisper. "They know we're here."

The others in the room froze on hearing that, Carbuncle included, and all turned to focus entirely on Shelke.

"Come again?" The green creature asked.

However, Denzel didn't need to get confirmation. For the first time, he took a good look at what exactly Shelke was staring at. Her flashlight beam was aimed squarely on the remains of a security camera. One of Shelke's pipes was lodged inside it, having gone right through the main lens. On seeing this, Denzel realized that she must have smashed it the moment she opened the manhole cover. That was the sound of the noise they heard.

As she grabbed ahold of the end and yanked it out, she continued to speak. "That kept them from identifying us, but they'll be wondering why one of their cameras went dead. For now, they may assume a structural failure. But when someone comes to repair it, they'll know a projectile did it. The whole station will be on alert. Our only remaining defense will be that they don't know how many of us there are and where we are. We don't have much time. Turn on your flashlights and follow me." With that, she reaimed her beam further along the corridor and began to march down it.

Denzel, Marlene, and Azure nervously turned to each other. They were all sweating now. With this done, it meant they could no longer pretend that they were safe. Now they'd be ready for them. They weren't exactly expecting to be known at this point… Yet there was little they could do now…

"Don't sweat it." Carbuncle suddenly spoke up, causing them to look back to him. He was already following Shelke, however. "Remember…I can teleport us out in a jiffy. Let's keep it going."

Denzel paused. That was comfort…although it wasn't much of it. They still had to finish their mission after all. However, standing there wouldn't get it done. Sticking around the busted camera was a sure way to get found out. A moment later, and Marlene clicked on her flashlight, and somewhat reluctantly followed after Shelke. When that happened, Azure and Denzel looked to each other one more time, let out sighs of resignation, and then turned back. Their own flashlights soon went on, and they followed behind. They were soon making their way through this new area.

Along the way, Denzel happened to catch Shelke opening one of the medical gels and putting it on her burns from earlier. He was shocked. Not only had she crawled through that tube with those injuries, she also waited only until now to doctor them. Other than that, this next path didn't have much of interest. Just a black room of machinery and workings. It wasn't so comforting now, unfortunately. Now Denzel found himself looking around for unusual sights or movement, some sign that people were coming for them…assuming it was people that were coming at all. It appeared that Diablos wasn't into using humans anymore. All of the personnel seemed to be creatures or monsters of some sort. There was a frightening thought…maybe he planned to do that to the whole world… It made sense, unfortunately. From what had been reported regarding Shelke, that bodysuit had been turning her into a monster…

However, that brought a frightening possibility to mind.

_He was turning Shelke into a monster…_

_…What did he do with the rest of the people he brainwashed?_

That thought sent a cold chill down Denzel's spine. It was so sudden that he almost stepped on Carbuncle when Shelke suddenly came to a stop, bringing the esper and the rest of them to a halt as well. Once he saw this, he quickly shook his head and snapped out of it. He had to stay on the task at hand…

Shelke's flashlight beam turned downward and around. The others turned their beams toward her direction as well, and slowly Denzel was able to make out a frame of something. It looked like a tall shaft of some sort, going vertically up and down. On seeing it, Denzel realized it had to be the maintenance shaft that Shelke had outlined earlier back at the restaurant. They were getting close.

Here, the woman put her flashlight down and began to go into her supplies. Over the next few minutes, the group could do little other than wait as she pulled out various ropes and tackle, and began to attach them to the vertical shaft. Although it might have been meant for an elevator, it was "naked" with its girders exposed, giving her plenty of things to attach the ropes to and make sure they were secure. Lastly, she began to attach some sort of harness to herself and to the ropes she had set up.

"We can't use the elevator." She explained. "They'll know someone's here if we do. So we'll have to rapel down the shaft. Watch how I'm securing this harness. You'll all have to do the same to yourselves. Once I reach the bottom, I'm going to undo this and send it back up. The next one of you put it on and come down."

A bit later, and Shelke was tied up and prepared. Once she had reached that point, she inched her way over to the side of the shaft, holding the end of the line as she did so. She looked over her shoulder and down the side, and then proceeded to push back and let herself fall a bit, dropping into a horizontal position with her body suspended over the shaft. Once she reached that point, she squatted, prepared herself, and then launched herself off. A bit to the shock of everyone present, she seemed to nearly drop down freely into the blackness below. Marlene was so shocked that she actually ran to the side of the shaft and shone her flashlight beam down it. While she did, they heard a touch. Following that, a few moments later, they heard a second. Finally, they heard feet hit the bottom. Marlene herself was still scanning below. Denzel and Azure stepped up and looked down as well.

There was little to see. The distance was too great for the flashlight beam to be effective. However, there was enough of an echo to hear clicking and releasing far beneath them. Moments after that, they saw the end of the rope near them begin to shift rapidly, as if someone was working it. They looked and saw this, and realized that Shelke must have reached the bottom. She was sending the harness back up. They were a bit stunned. Ten seconds flat between her launch and her sending the harness back. At the speed it was moving, it would be up to them soon.

The three stepped back, and looked to each other for a moment. They realized that one of them was next, and had to do what Shelke had just done. That made them a bit nervous. They might not have been severely agrophobic, but that didn't mean this descent wasn't a bit terrifying none the less. Now the silent question was passed as to which would go on the rapel first…

"…I'll go next." Azure finally volunteered. "And I guess I'll try to carry Carbuncle down with me."

"Pft."

The three turned and looked to the esper in response to his retort. He looked at them cynically for a moment, and then let out a sigh. As he did…his form quite easily levitated above the ground. The three were rendered silent at that. Carbuncle, not waiting for anything else, simply hovered forward into their midst, and then quite simply pushed through them. As he did, he pointed a paw at his own face.

"Esper, remember?"

Denzel simply grimaced as the green creature easily floated down the shaft. As for Azure, he simply went about attaching the harness to himself. It took him a bit more work, but he got it done fairly quickly, after that, he went about mimicking Shelke's movements to get himself over the shaft, and then proceeded to rapel as well. Denzel and Marlene were both impressed as he did so. He seemed to be fairly good at it himself, although none of them had ever done anything like it before. He managed to reach the bottom, unhook himself, and start sending the harness back up in just eighteen seconds. Denzel couldn't help but grimace at this as well.

"Azure's always better at new things than me…" He murmured.

"Forget it." Marlene answered.

Once the harness was back up, Denzel gave his friend a hand in attaching it. She seemed to have a little difficulty on her own. Once that was done, she herself went over the edge…although far more tentatively than before. She certainly wasn't going to be the record setter that day. She got off to a half-start, and she screwed up early on, giving out a little gasp as she tried her first rapel. It took her a few tries to get it, and when she finally did she still wasn't nearly as good as the first two. Nevertheless, it only took her about a minute to get to the bottom, and another minute to unhook her harness and send it back up.

Once it was back, Denzel realized it was finally his turn. He was a bit nervous as he attached it. He was the last one down, which meant no one was overhead. He doubted that, if there was, they'd be able to stop him from falling anyway, but there still was some note of security with it, if only psychological. Yet again, there was nothing for it. Once he was fully attached, he took in a deep breath, stepped to the edge, and swung himself over the drop.

A feeling of vertigo immediately struck him. His head went spinning and he was forced to pause for a moment. As he gave out a massive exhale to try and steady himself, he wondered how Azure had managed to do this so easily. Quickly, he blinked to try and clear his head, and then attempted his first rapel. It only sent his senses for another loop, and made him dizzier than before. He must have only gone two feet down before flailing around and nearly crashing into the side of the shaft. However, he gained his bearings and focused again. He tried once more. It was still sloppy, but he dropped four feet this time. Over the next few rapels, he began to get the hang of it. Soon he was sailing downward at a good pace, and in the end he touched bottom at about forty-five seconds.

As he set foot on bottom, Denzel balanced himself and exhaled, standing up to full height. He looked around a bit, and saw that Azure and Marlene had already turned their flashlights back on and were aiming them at him. Shelke was standing to the side, mostly still in darkness. Denzel himself quickly removed his own harness, taking the whole time to be one minute for him. Once that was done, he fired up his own flashlight and turned it onto Shelke. The others quickly followed suit.

They ended up not traveling very far at all. After only distancing slightly from the elevator shaft, Shelke came to a halt over a hatch of some sort. The others quickly filled in around her and gathered by her as she knelt next to it. However, she went no further. She looked up to the others here.

"This is the last stop." Shelke announced. "Directly below the hatch is the military corridor. I'll run over the path one more time. As soon as I open this, we will all drop down and begin moving. We have three hundred meters to travel. Once we enter, cover will immediately be blown. We'll be visible on at least three monitors. Hopefully, we won't be surrounded by personnel. Follow me, move fast, don't fall behind. Once we reach the end, we get into the elevator and take it to the lab level. If any of you wish to leave now before we go into the hot zone, now would be a good time. Otherwise, get ready for combat."

Denzel answered by drawing his sword. Azure himself put his hand at the ready, but didn't summon his weapon to him. Instead, he kept a materia orb in one hand, just at the ready to utilize. Marlene took out her gun and cocked it. Carbuncle himself seemed to begin to shimmer with energy.

"I can throw up a barrier around us." The esper stated. "But if it isn't energy in nature, the best I can do is dampen the effect. And I'm not that familiar with these 'gum' things you guys have…"

"That's 'gun'…" Marlene answered with a murmur. To accent this, she held her own weapon in front of her. "This is what they look like."

"If anyone tries to point one at us, make sure they don't hit us." Denzel supplemented.

Shelke stayed silent, and looked them all over. She inhaled and exhaled. "…Alright then. Now comes the main reason I wanted your help. I'll need someone to cover me if there are door locks or impediments of any kind. If I shout out a sudden order or need you to do something, do it. Don't backtalk or hesitate. And if I fall…someone else has to finish the mission. One of us has to get to the essence with Carbuncle and teleport it out. Is everyone clear?"

Denzel and the others nodded.

"…Is everyone ready?" She asked as a follow up, even as her hands lowered to the hatch.

Denzel looked to his friends and Carbuncle. They all checked back, and then turned to Shelke once again. They all gave a nod.

"Then here we go."

Without another instant for preparation, Shelke seized the metal hatch and rotated the top of it. Moments later, a hiss of air went out as the locks broke. She quickly yanked back, pulling the doorway open. Denzel only had enough time to check and see that red, fiery light flooded in from the other side. He wondered if it was an alert…but didn't have time to find out. Shelke immediately leapt inward, practically diving in. Not stopping, Azure went after her and leapt down. Marlene quickly got up, though still a bit reluctant, and leapt in after him. Carbuncle leapt onto her shoulders just as she descended. Finally, Denzel bit down and leapt into the hole as well. Soon, he was sailing down into the red light.

A second later, and Denzel touched down on hard ground. The impact jarred his legs with a bit of a jolt, and inertia forced him into a squat momentarily. However, that didn't last long. He could see the others around him now. And they were clear. The fiery red light was filling the entire corridor, dim and yet bright enough to make out lots of details. Shelke was already taking off down the hallway in a run. The next stage of the plan was underway…

And yet…Marlene and even Azure found themselves pausing for a moment, showing fear in their eyes…before they only slowly began to take off after Shelke. Their eyes were looking around them. Denzel himself looked around, and caught himself hesitating. He was stunned at what he saw…perhaps even a little afraid…

Denzel had been in the military corridors of the old New Shinra HQ Dome. He expected DeepGround to look much the same. Smooth metal walls, bulkheads, fluorescent lighting…the whole bit. He saw nothing of the sort here. Instead…it looked completely subterranean. The walls were made of melted metal or rock now, likely made from carving deeper into the tunnels and exposing the rough material beneath. The floors were smooth, but they weren't metal. It was stone, carved and smoothed flat. The same thing with the ceiling. More so than that, however, was that somehow this chamber had filled with stalactites and stalagmites, although it took thousands upon thousands of years for those to form normally… They dripped from the ceiling and rose from the floor, filling the sides of the hall with formations that looked like teeth, or as if the hall itself was living rock that had been blown through to create the hallway. Twisted, skeletal, black bat sconces were up and down the corridor, each one bearing flaming torches. That provided the light now. And since it was fire and rock…this place looked like some sort of magma-filled mountain cave rather than a military installation.

That…or some nameless hallway in Hell.

_"Kill them!"_

This didn't come from any human. It came from some deep, savage, booming voice from behind where Shelke was running. Denzel snapped his head around…and began to think that this whole excursion was a nightmare or some sort of hallucination. There was a regiment behind him…but they weren't of normal soldiers. Rather, they were hulking humanoid beings, no doubt of the same ilk that had nearly smelled them out earlier. They were covered in armor, however, concealing most of their monstrous features. The armor itself, however, was not normal. It wasn't medieval wear, but neither was it futuristic, close fitting gear that SOLDIER members wore. It was some sort of sleek, shaped suit that gave the appearance of being a fiery black demon, and yet it had signs of technology built into it. Wires in some places…lights gleaming the same fiery color in others…a blending of ancient technology and new.

This became very clear when one of them lifted up a gauntlet and aimed at Denzel. A clicking and whirring sound came out from it…and suddenly it sprung open, aiming some sort of small barrel at him. Denzel's eyes widened. As the barrel suddenly glowed fiery red, the youth quickly snapped to one side. An instant later…and a fiery red rocket abruptly ripped out from the end of the gauntlet. It painted a trail of flame through the air, and it itself gleamed like a small hot iron. It barely missed Denzel's head, but was so close that he actually cried out from the sharp burning sensation.

Yet that was nothing compared to a moment later, when the fiery missile struck one of the walls in the chamber. An ear-splitting eruption blasted through the area. Denzel heard sonic noises pierce his ears, forcing him to turn and shield himself in agony. It was good, for bits of stone debris soon smacked against his body from the eruption, and the lights of the fire that resulted soon became blinding, forcing him to shut his eyes. Not wanting to stay there a second longer, Denzel forced himself, off balance as he was, to start running away, to charge after the others. His legs managed to steady themselves and started to take him from the area, but even as he was picking up speed he forced his eyes to open and look behind him again.

A black crater larger than Denzel was all that was left of the wall where the flaming missile had hit. It was smoldering and hissing with heat as rocks continued to fall from it. Shocked, Denzel turned his head behind him, only to see that the lead one was headed after him and warming up another shot. The others were close behind…and all of them were opening their own gauntlets.

Denzel turned back and took off even faster as another flaming missile shot out to obliterate the ground where he had been standing.

The young man, needless to say, was soon running as fast as he could to catch the others. However, they too were taking off as fast as they could after Shelke. As they ran down the rock and fire hallways, the sounds of heavy footsteps were behind them all the way. Luckily, Shelke wasn't staying still. Much of the corridor was straight, but she waved from side to side, utilizing its whole width. The others followed, and as a result they managed to dodge most of the deadly red rockets firing behind them. That was good, because they couldn't afford to stop and dodge. He didn't want to risk finding out whether or not the barrier of Carbuncle would hold either. Denzel's heart was soon racing. Fear as well as urgency drove him to go faster than he had ever done before. He managed to slowly catch up to Marlene, but the others were running hard too and so they maintained their distance from him.

Denzel felt a wave of relief moments later when they turned a sharp corner in the hallway, going down one of the side branches. For a few precious seconds, that meant they were clear. He heard the enemy behind him futilly shoot at the corner, and he felt a few bits of rock smack him as an eruption of heat ignited against the wall behind him, but it was all in vain. The group was clear for a moment. A few seconds of peace lasted as they ran a short distance before turning another branch and straightening out again. The youth was even happier. That meant more momentary cover from their pursuers…

That feeling didn't last. As soon as they turned the corner, Denzel looked in front of him to see another long hallway…and another division of armored troopers just ahead, blocking the way. They were caught off guard at first, but now that they were running to them, they were spinning around and seeing the intruders headed straight for them.

"Break through!" Shelke yelled, perhaps for the first time Denzel had known her. However, the command was clear, and he was already on his way. He brought up his own sword as their group tore into the enemy…

Shelke was there first, and wasted little time. Drawing both of her poles, she executed a nimble flying forward flip in midair, and as she came down almost appeared to grow two more arms, for two of her blows smashed two gauntlets on enemies on either side of her, while two more crushed the helmet and likely skull of that before her. She followed it up with a backflip, yet somehow continued to move forward, bringing both of her feet upward to smash under the jaw of the next one in line, which she reached by flipping over the still falling body of the first one she, likely, killed. Still not stopping, she plowed forward to knock this one down on his back, taking advantage of him being bashed and stunned, and then leapt forward and drove both of her feet down on his chest. A cracking sound went out as a result, but Denzel doubted that was armor… Meanwhile, she spun forward with her pipes extended and proceeded to smack weapons away and broadside more soldiers against the head as they went on.

Azure was right behind. By the time he arrived, some of the monsters had looked away from Shelke. They were turning their attention to him instead, and aiming their gauntlets at him. That was as far as they got, however, as the youth aimed his materia at them and yelled an arcane word. Seconds later, and ice crystals materialized within their gauntlets, growing larger in instant. The result sent piercing shards through their flesh and bone as well as jammed their guns, so that a moment later a line of explosions ripped through the front of them. Undaunted, Azure made as if he was a seasoned pro and summoned the Masamune to him. Employing his running fight techniques, he proceeded to slice down the enemy on either side, his sharp edge easily cleaving through metal and bone, as he dashed behind Shelke in the path she was already blazing, making it wider and easier to move through.

As a result of the two, there wasn't much for Marlene, Denzel, and Carbuncle to do as they charged in behind them. A wall of dead, bleeding, or dying monstrous soldiers filled either side of the path that Azure and Shelke blazed. Those behind were as savage and fierce as the brainwashed people back in Midgar, and as a result tried to tear past their own allies to get to them. Yet for all their work, they could do nothing. When one did come through, Marlene either gave them a round from her rifle, or Denzel brought his own sword to bear. His weapon wasn't good enough to slice through their armor, but he was well trained and strong enough to go for vulnerable chinks and cut his way through. When he did, sparks of electricity as well as blood burst forth.

They were about halfway through the regiment when Denzel saw a red light in the corner of his vision. He turned to look, and saw it. One of the monsters had a gauntlet up and primed. They were firing a red rocket at point blank range. To his terror, he realized he had no time to dodge. He barely had enough time to gasp as the shot fired off and straight for his head…

An instant later…a translucent, shimmering barrier lit up around Denzel instead, and a blast of fire erupted from within the ranks of the monsters. The force of the fiery explosion sent them surging forward, almost spilling over onto Denzel and Marlene. However, the enemy was stunned or dead that landed on them, and as a result, Denzel grit his teeth and shoved back, managing to tear through them as the barrier around his body slowly faded in midair again. He had to cut through two more monsters, but he managed to break past. Marlene and Carbuncle followed, and Denzel said a mental thank you to the esper…

They pushed through for a few more seconds. During that time, Denzel was able to note that some of the armors differed so much in form that they had to be a different sex. These were not just males. Quite a few were female as well. Also some were taller or shorter. This was no uniform army at all… But he kept cutting and shooting his way through regardless. He had to get through it…

At last, the youth cleared the last of the ranks, and ran onward. As soon as he had busted through and the last of their group was clear to keep running, their first pursuers ran into the mess they had left behind them. That provided them with more cover. It didn't last long, unfortunately. The sound of rockets peeled out, along with fiery explosions, as the enemy appeared to blast through the dead members of its own ranks in order to not lose ground. Yet by the time they had made it through, the group was already turning another corner. They were clear again for another few moments.

"Looks like your barrier works, Carbuncle!" Marlene called out.

"That wasn't a barrier! It was a reflecting spell!" Carbuncle shouted back. "These bozos are packing magical weapons!"

_Terrific…_ Denzel thought as they continued to charge past.

Another turn followed, and then another after that. Now alarms began to go off. Somewhere underneath the rock structure, they had to have real alarm systems, for the klaxions were soon bursting through the halls. Yet they encountered no more large divisions. They ran into a few pairs of two or so, but they cut through them easily. The first one they saw barely had enough time to look around before Shelke cast her pipe like a projectile and smashed into his helmet visor, knocking him flat on his back with the first blow. As she ran up to reclaim it, Denzel saw more sparks issuing forth from the damage, confirming that this was indeed some sort of magical technology. He wasn't at ease about it… Diablos wasn't fooling around… Another turn…and another… Azure's ice materia froze two more in place before he followed up with a slice from Masamune. Marlene fired a shot from the rifle behind her into their pursuers when they began to fire again.

One more turn passed…and Denzel saw it. At the end of a relatively long hallway, flanked by two armored suits, sat a private elevator. It remained mostly the same in the rest of the alterations that had taken place. Its console was still there too. They had made it. The only problem was, it was at the end of a straightaway, and it formed a crux at a T-intersection. They would be hemmed in on all sides. There was nothing for it, unfortunately. The group continued to charge forward, even as their pursuers fully turned the corner and came behind them. Red rockets streamed out to blast them, but their aim was off and it impacted walls and the floor instead, blasting away large pieces of smoldering rock. One shot did hit…but only set off another shimmering barrier, which reflected back into the enemy group and struck them. The resulting explosion interrupted them and their fire, giving the group more of a chance to run forward toward the elevator.

Shelke next threw out one of her pipes again, subduing one of the elevator guards much as she had before. The other one raised its own gauntlet and fired at them before they could reach it…but the shot merely bounced off and sailed right back at it. This one was almost a direct hit, blasting it in the chest. As it ignited into a fireball, a roar sounded from the creature. Flaming bits of armor flew from its body in the resulting explosion, and the entire body was smothered in fire. Yet that lasted only a moment. As it died down, the figure fell backward out of the flames and landed on its back. Only the helmet, the leg armor, and one arm was still intact. After impact, its still smoking body, riddled with burns and shrapnel damage in places where its armor had been ripped clear, slowly slid off down the wall. There it lay, and moved no more.

Two seconds later, and the group was at the elevator. Shelke bent down while running and snatched up her pipe as she went by, discarded on the floor from where it had rolled after striking the first guard and holstered it and its mate, but then made straight for the console to the elevator. The others quickly rushed in around her. With practiced movements, her fingers flew over the console, entering an eight digit code, followed by the enter button. Denzel and the others anxious waited and prepared to flood in as soon as the doors opened…

Nothing happened.

A red light went on the console, followed by an "error" siren.

"…The code has changed." Shelke stated.

The hearts of the four seemed to instantly freeze. That almost sounded like a death sentence to Denzel. He had remembered hearing about this possibility before back at the diner…but now that they were in the midst of a life-or-death situation, it was much worse.

The youth turned his head behind him. The enemy was coming again. They had freed themselves from the counterattack, and their gauntlets were coming up to bear again as they ran forward. Yet that wasn't only one problem. He turned his head to either side. Fresh regiments were pouring down the halls from either direction, ones that looked like they had reinforcements behind them. Their gauntlets were up as well. They had no doubt planned to cut them off before, but they had moved too fast for them. They reached the elevator first. Of course…now it meant they were being attacked from three sides.

"…We're screwed." Denzel grimaced.

Shelke didn't answer. She quickly went to her pocket and pulled out a tiny screwdriver. She brought it up to the panel and went to work. "One minute, fourteen seconds, starting now." She announced.

One second later, the glowing barrier lit up in eight different places from red rockets smashing into it, and then sailing back into their respective crowds. Five more followed right behind. Denzel, Azure, and Marlene actually staggered back and pressed against Shelke and the elevator from the sheer fury of the bombardment. Now, all of them were showing panic and fear. Azure himself began to sweat for a change as he made Masamune disappear, and instead pulled out a fresh materia and began to use both against the encroaching enemy.

Marlene herself looked down to Carbuncle. "How long can you keep this barrier up?"

"It's a reflect spell, missie." Carbuncle answered. "And you aren't talking to one of those half-rate white mages. I can keep this up as long as they can keep shooting. No problem."

Denzel swallowed and came forward again, holding up his sword in the process. "…And what if they stop shooting?"

Carbuncle paused on hearing that. A moment later…and he too seemed to get anxious. "Heh…that's just the thing…people usually learn real quick they're not getting through with magic. And like I said before…I can only dull physical attacks…"

Even as Carbuncle said this, the din that they had to talk over rapidly quieted down. All three hallways were bathed in fire and eruptions from the reflected shots. Even Azure had cut himself off in the wake of them. However…no further shots were coming. The enemy had realized what their opponents were doing, how they were only destroying themselves by firing shots at them in this confined space. And they were learning quickly, it seemed…

Denzel tightened his grip. "…Shelke?"

"Still over a minute." She answered as she finished unscrewing, and pulled part of the control panel off.

The youth groaned inwardly. He was beginning to realize just how long a minute could be…especially in this sort of situation. At any rate, there wasn't much more of a reprieve. As the fires and smoke died down…the armors suddenly burst forth from the chaos and began to rush the group, this time coming all together in a wave of flesh and metal from three different sides.

Azure immediately went to work again, showing his prowress with materia. He let loose on one of the fronts, managing to stop the enemy in their tracks. But the other sides kept coming. Denzel quickly raised his own blade, and Marlene her weapon. She fired off several shots from the rifle, but for all the enemy she was dropping she might as well have not done anything at all. They were on Denzel a moment later. They had no other weapons but their fists, but those looked huge enough. Gritting his teeth, the boy rushed in and sliced at the first one with all his might. His strength and training paid off as he managed to cut deep into its belly at a chink in the armor, dropping the first one who assaulted him. He had no time to relish his victory, however. He was forced to yank his blade back and slice through the neck of another on his left. They he had to pull it out and chop through a third.

His chopping maneuver, however, ended up getting his blade stuck in part of the armor, after embedding itself part of the way. The metal he cut into pinched it and kept it still. His enemy let out a cry of pain and faltered, but his weapon was still immobilized for a moment, and the waves kept coming. Denzel nearly panicked. He quickly grabbed the hilt as hard as he could, put a foot on the falling monster body, and tried to yank it out. But it was stuck fast, and only with much protest in the form of whining metal did it begin to come forth. That wasn't fast enough. As he struggled to yank it, he looked up…and saw a fresh soldier was on him. Before he could do anything else, he reared back his gauntlet and let Denzel have it in the face.

Jarring pain flashed through Denzel's brain as the force of the impact, added to his own yanking, ripped the sword free. It forced him back two steps as well, and he felt soreness flash through his jaw. Yet the pain was still mild enough that he was able to recover quickly. His eyes opened and his head reset, focusing his attention on the one who hit him. Immediately, he gave a yell and drove his blade forward, burying it in the enemy's gut. It gave out a roar and a gurgle, and then fell to the ground. Denzel quickly yanked his blade out again to keep fighting, while once again sending a word of praise to Carbuncle. He didn't want to think what that hit would have done had a barrier not been over his body…

Yet despite managing to avoid death on this first run, the fight was far from over. They came in like a deluge of some sort, unstoppable by Marlene and Denzel's own attacks. They continued to pour on from two different directions, and it wasn't long at all before both of them were overwhelmed and pushed back further against the elevator. Their parents might have been able to beat back this kind of wave, but they weren't their parents and weren't nearly fast or powerful enough to do it… Denzel himself struck as much as he could, but it was too little. They were pressing against him from all sides. Their claws and fists were lashing out, trying to knock down his sword…trying to cut into him… He continued to slash, but soon he lacked the room to even keep his sword moving in effective slices.

Then it happened. A talon lashed out and went against his arm. The soft flesh was easily broken, and a bloody gash was torn into his skin. Denzel cried out in pain, and his grasp on his sword faltered… The enemy rushed in…

And then was blown back. Yelling out in fury, Azure's voice sounded over all of the metal and roaring of their opponents. Abruptly, Denzel's vision was filled with blinding light as thunder shot forth from his friend and moved through the wave of attackers, penetrating them and moving around them with deadly electricity. It was almost as if Quetzacoatl had appeared and fought for them. Yet this wasn't an esper…it was Azure's own control over materia, strong already despite being so young and inexperienced. As one, the mass of attackers was thrown back. Some were electrocuted to death while others were merely fried as they were flung back into their allies, forcing them back as well. But the net result was the enemy being blasted off of them, back into the halls from which they had come.

Denzel, now sweating and rather strained, with blood staining his arm, turned his head toward Azure. The youth himself had switched materias, putting the ice and thunder away and emerging with the powerful contain materia instead. It was only the thunder from that type of materia that could force the enemy back. However, even now, they were recovering. The enemy was packing itself thickly into the corridors, so much so that they formed a solid wall for their soldiers to run into. And they were all surging forward as one massive unit. As a result, they managed to keep standing, and were about to run back at the group again, totally relentless…

Yet Azure was already responding. Aiming his materia forward again, he once more called out in arcane words. Instantly, the air condensed at the end of each hallway, and Denzel saw the fires dim as the air went cool. Moments later, and thick walls of ice materialized in front of each entrance, instantly branching out with crystals and forming solid barriers. The enemy on the opposite side was stopped in its tracks. They began to roar, but soon that sound was drowned out as the ice fully covered the entrances, so that the group could only see forms raging on the other side of the barriers.

Immediately after that…Azure let out a rather sharp gasp. Denzel and Marlene turned back to him, and were just in time to see the contain materia drop from his hand as he collapsed down onto one knee.

Denzel began to move toward him in fear. "Azure!"

"That's…the last of it…" He groaned from his position on the floor. One hand went out and placed against it, keeping him from falling the rest of the way. Denzel stopped at this, and watched him as he panted and tried to catch his breath. "I can't sling any more spells… I'm drained…"

Denzel swallowed again. He turned his head back toward the ice barriers. For a few more seconds, they were totally intact. But then…he heard muffled sounds of red rockets moving. As he did, he saw fiery lights come up from behind the ice walls. They were fracturing now. They started off with a few muffled explosions, but soon bigger cracks began to move though the ice walls, splintering through to the other side. In moments, they'd be blown apart. It had barely bought them more than a few seconds.

Denzel looked back to Azure. His friend was able to push himself up and get his sword ready, but the youth knew that magical ability and physical ability were in two different realms. If he had exhausted his magical power, then it was gone until he could rest for a while. He could fight with the Masamune, but Denzel realized it wasn't going to be good enough. There was just too many of them, and only so many that the three of them could fight at a time, barrier or no barrier.

He turned back to Shelke after this, to see how things were going. She was going to work crossing wires and severing others in the panel she had opened, but was still working and didn't appear to be finishing anytime soon.

"How long now?" He asked.

"Forty seconds." Shelke answered.

In response…a louder eruption took place as a large piece of the ice was blown into bits. Pieces of frozen material were cast into the room, some smashing against the ground; others flying all the way back to the elevator door. Denzel himself brought an arm to his face to shield it, but that didn't block out the sudden surge of volume from the monsters that were pounding away at the ice and trying to overrun them.

"We don't have forty seconds!" Denzel shouted back.

"Then the door stays shut." Shelke answered coldly yet firmly as she kept working.

More ice chunks were soon blown into the room as further red rockets went off. Holes were blasted through in numerous places. The remains of the barriers broke into larger loose chunks. They were still heavy, but didn't work that well as barriers as the living surge behind them switched off their gauntlets and began to push forward. The remaining chunks began to shift and move as the roaring and snarling continued. The barriers buckled and bits of arms and legs began to poke out.

Marlene cocked her rifle and sent a shot into the breaking barrier straight ahead. She wasn't a marksman and there was still heavy recoil, but from this distance she was able to hit something. A cry went out, and so she cocked and readied to fire again. However, she and the others pushed back toward the elevator again, trying to at least tighten up so that they could hold some sort of semi-circle off around Shelke. Of course, it looked futile at this point. They couldn't stop all of them. By now, at least a hundred were glaring at them through the breaks in ice. Denzel knew he wasn't fast enough to kill a dozen before they reached him, let alone…

_"Please…kill me…"_

The young man's train of thought was interrupted. A voice, deep and raspy and inhuman, was speaking from his side, toward the ground. Based on its position, he almost thought Carbuncle. But no, he was nearer the front line, keeping his ruby light protecting them. And so, he looked down to the source to see who had said that…

Despite the fear at the incoming enemy and the need to stay focused on them and ready to fight…Denzel caught himself freezing again.

He was looking at the monstrous soldier who had practically blown himself up.

Only for the first time, Denzel noticed something else. The chest was thick and made of a skin not from human. It was riddled with metal debris from its own armor as well as the rocket, and was burned and bleeding in multiple spots. However, despite all of this, Denzel could make out a tattoo across it. And though it had been years…he recognized it as a Planet Protector Army insignia, one that a lot of the veterans had gotten to show their membership in certain units. And on seeing it…the truth, which had been mere possibility before now, became clear at once…

If he needed further proof, the one remaining armored hand feebly reached up toward Denzel.

_"Kill…me…"_

The young man almost went white.

_These are people… The people he took from Edge…_

_He _did _turn them all into these things…_

The last ice block on the right was shoved aside. In a single file, and yet quickly spreading out on entering, a group of the enemy poured inside and began to run toward their own group.

Denzel was frozen for a moment longer. He couldn't believe it. He had feared it before…but now actually seeing the truth was far worse. He wasn't just conquering them. He was turning the human race into monsters, just like him. Making them dumb creatures that would slaughter on his behalf… He could have done this to everyone in Edge by now. Everyone who was his victims of brainwashing. That included the kids at school…and…

_Mom and dad…_

On thinking this, Denzel snapped out of it. His head looked up, and he saw the enemy pouring in through the first breach. They were all gnashing their teeth, furious and insane with hate. But Denzel knew it wasn't their hate. It was what they had been filled with…Diablos' influence. He had turned them into mindless beasts to serve him, and the even if they were released now they'd only be trapped as monsters forever. They'd be left just like the one on the floor was…wanting someone to destroy them and put them out of their misery. He did it to everyone in town…everyone he had ever known… And thinking of that made Denzel's own rage flare. Although Marlene was already shooting into the group and Azure was getting ready to fight, it took too long. Denzel, without waiting anymore, aimed his sword in a stabbing position and charged right for the enemy. He met them before they got near the others, driving his sword into the middle of the first one.

It didn't take long for more to come at him. Denzel didn't care. He tore into them for all he was worth. He ripped his sword out of the first and slashed down on another's neck joint. He pulled his sword away after that and cut through another's middle. Had it been any other boy his similar age, he would have been as good as dead in seconds. But his own Jenova cells, Carbuncle's barrier, and his training enabled him to hold his own against the deluge of enemies for a time. Even when one of them broke through and clawed him along the back, making him wince in pain, and another brought its fist across his face, he continued to hack and slash.

This lasted for a short while, but his assault failed to gain that much ground. More were starting to break free from the other entrances, and the ones coming out of the first were still swarming over him. Carbuncle's barrier offset the increasing number of blows and slashes…but it wasn't long before blood was drawn from his hand and then his shoulder. More of the hits began to come in, striking him with power that would have killed anyone else his age without a barrier. Worst of all, they were simply crushing in around him, removing his ability to use his sword effectively, making it more cumbersome rather than deadly…

In the midst of the fighting, Denzel barely managed to hear another gunshot go off. Nor did he notice right away as the enemy directly behind him went dead. It didn't really matter. As soon as that one fell, more began to rush in its place, moving in behind Denzel to strike out with their claws once again. This latest slash went in deep…even despite the barrier. It served to stun him by filling his mind and body with agony, making the young man arch back in misery.

Then it happened. A powerful blow shot through the air and struck him squarely in the back of the head. The barrier almost didn't seem to be there as the force split his scalp. Blood rushed forward as his senses went dead. Blackness swirled into his vision and his balance was lost. It barely mattered, seeing as they were pressing on him so much now that they were holding him up. Talons shot out again, many of them missing the barrier and ripping at his clothes and skin. And still they swarmed around him from both sides…

As his eyes rolled and his head turned, somewhere in his dazzled vision…he thought he saw a smaller figure reaching out for him. It was a desperate move, forcing hands between pressing armored bodies. Overhead, two different figured put their fists together and raised them up in the sky, ready to drop the finishing blow. But it seemed too dreamlike and unreal for Denzel to focus on…so he reached out for the hand. It felt like he was controlling his arms from outside his body, but he released the handle to go for the hand…his sword arm was beaten down…the fists began to fall…

His fingers brushed a hand, and then were grasped by the hand's own fingers.

A sense of dizziness and euphoria suddenly flooded over him…and everything around him seemed to melt and swirl into black oblivion…

* * *

"Denzel! Marlene!"

If Azure's cry was heard, he'd never know. All he knew was he suddenly saw armored figures completely engulf his friends and strike down with their fists interlocked. Although he hadn't been as reckless as Denzel and therefore tested the power of Carbuncle's barriers enough to gauge their abilities, he doubted they would have held up against the assault. Yet there was little he could do at that moment other than watch as the enemy struck down once, and then turn away completely from their former targets and look back to him, Shelke, and Carbuncle. As they did, another ice barrier was shoved aside, and more began to fill in from an additional direction. It was as if their entire army had suddenly been called down on them.

Azure was moments from rushing over to try and help his friends…but he was the more rational and less purely emotive of the pair he and Denzel made. He realized it was pointless. They were coming forward like a wave, passing through as if Denzel and Marlene weren't even there. They were lost behind dozens of enemies. It would take him forever to cut through them, even with the Masamune. And if he could, what then? There were even more pouring in from the other side. Soon the third barrier would be shifted and then they'd be engulfed by them. He was the only thing left to defend Shelke… He couldn't just leave them…but if he stepped back now it would all be over. They had to get this essence if they were to undo all of this evil… He had to make a decision.

In the end, he hoped he did the right thing.

_I'm sorry…_

"Shelke! Open that door!" He heard himself commanding.

"I still need a good twenty seconds." She called back.

"There's no more time left!" Azure answered as he both feared what happened to his friends as well as saw the surge of flesh coming at him to do the same. "I'll cut the doors open!"

"That won't work. It will trigger a shutdown if the doors are forced."

Azure, if he had been as prone to being foul mouthed as Denzel, would have sworn at this point. Twenty seconds was twenty too long. He saw what happened to Denzel. Even if he could strike them all with the Masamune, their bodies would push in on him until he couldn't move. And with how fast they were rushing in on him, he'd never move fast enough… He needed to stop this somehow…

"Sorry…I got nothing." Carbuncle spoke up. "My barriers work for protection and warping. I can't restrain anyone with them…"

Azure looked upward and tried to think. There had to be a way out of this… He couldn't make any barriers of his own and neither could Carbuncle… Even if they could, how could they stop these things? The youth looked around, trying to find something he could use…

His eyes glanced to the ceiling. When they did, an idea formed. It looked like it was covered with rock, but there was a good chance that it was like the area where they came out. A network of girders and construction work could be behind it. If so, then perhaps a good portion of the ceiling was only being held in place by the girders… Of course, it would also mean cutting off his friends if they were still there…

In the end, Azure realized he had no choice. Stop them now or don't stop them at all. Gritting his teeth and turning his gaze toward the ceiling, hoping he was making a cut in the right spot, he flashed out with the blade of the Masamune twice, slicing a great X in midair.

Azure was far from being the same level of swordsman at Sephiroth, but with his skill he was already better than most swordsmen on the planet. With the power of the Masamune in his hand, he could force out a cut so strong that the mere air that came downwind of it would be focused with enough force to cut. And not just lightly either. This blow would cut through stone and steel. It did so now. Unseen by anyone else, the cut penetrated the stone and caused sparks to shoot out from the supporting girders. It wasn't enough to fully cut down the ceiling, but it was enough to accomplish Azure's intention. The ceiling, made of steel and rock alike, was heavy enough to be incapable of standing without reinforcement…

A massive cracking sound went out as the weight of the ceiling yanked away at its remaining supports, twisting and warping them. Seconds later, and a new deluge broke down into the area. This one was a practical waterfall of stone and metal that now poured down over Azure's enemies. Soldiers were impaled by broken girders, crushed by stone, or simply lain flat by anything else. It came so fast and loudly that it forced the youth to wince, and a moment later he slammed his eyes shut as a dust cloud rolled up and over his body. It raged over Shelke as well as the floor beneath her and Azure shuddered, and she too was forced to wince and close her eyes. But with practiced skill she continued to do her task without hesitation, utilizing every bought second.

The main chaos gradually died down, although the ceiling continued to creak and groan, and bits of debris and rocks slowly fell down a piece at a time to the ground below. When it did, Azure slowly cracked open his dust-covered eyes and looked to see what had happened.

The third hallway was gone. A twisted mass of rocks and metal was what remained. It would take days to move without tools. Seeing as the ceiling was fractured and weak, it seemed likely that blasting with weapons would likely only drop more on whoever tried to force their way. At least one of the pathways of the enemy had been totally cut off, and a score of them smashed into nothingness under this pile of material.

Hissing like some sort of cat, Carbuncle, against the ground, turned brown with dust material, hacked and shook his body furiously, sending a cloud around him out. "Great job, jackass." He snorted, as his paws went up to his forehead and rubbed furiously. "You dirtied up my fur and my ruby. Now I can't focus energy."

Azure, focusing mostly on his handiwork before now, snapped his head in surprise to the coughing esper on hearing that. He realized what that probably meant. But before he could confirm it, his attention went back up again. Apparently, the enemy wasn't missing a beat. One tunnel was blocked, but another was open, and the enemy, not even stunned, was still pouring in. What more, the second remaining tunnel was finally opened as well, and the enemy started to come in from there too. He was right back where he started.

Azure bit down, and quickly looked to the ceiling again. In another moment, he might have tried that trick once again.

"Don't even think about it!" Carbuncle shouted out as he removed his paws and attempted to focus light again. In response came some scattering of light that resembled a prism, and which quickly faded as well. Growling, he began to wipe again. "The ceiling's so weak you'll bury us all!"

The youth hesitated, and then frowned a bit as he turned his eyes away. Ahead of them, the enemy was coming. Quickly, he focused again and instead sliced out at them. Unlike Denzel, who was using a normal weapon, Azure was using the finest blade ever made. The armor might as well have not even been there as it was sliced to ribbons, and the chests of the first two enemy units were opened. Another slash downed six. Another after that downed eight. Yet they kept pouring in…and Azure realized he couldn't hold them off.

He started to step back. "Shelke…I'm ready to try cutting through the whole way with Masamune if we're not ready to go right now…"

"Five more seconds…"

Azure slashed again. He struck down six more, but others tried to run in at different times from different angles. One of them cut close enough to swipe his talons at Azure before he could bring back Masamune and dispatch him. The youth grit his teeth in pain as he felt his skin sliced open, his tendons nearly cut by that enemy's move. He backed up further.

"Do what the human says!" Carbuncle squealed as he backed up as well. "Or I'm teleporting us out of here!"

As the enemy continued to push in, Shelke twisted one last wire together. After that, she quickly slammed the console up, back into place, and pressed the main button.

The sweetest sound in the world that Azure had heard in a long time was the sound of the elevator doors opening.

"Now." Shelke called.

Azure didn't need to be told twice. He could see the white light of the inner elevator shining over from behind him. He backed straight into it as the enemy continued their assault. Shelke went in first. Carbuncle fell in behind her next, as she pressed the button for the lowest level. Azure at last backed up behind. It was a wonderful sensation to see the threshold of the elevator come around his body as he went across it. He waved his hands as soon as he was in, making his blade disappear.

That might not have been the best idea. Immediately, two soldiers surged in, shoving their helmeted faces through. Their claws flashed out as they roared. Azure shot back in surprise, barely missing the slashes they gave. He then quickly took their moves into account, and then shot out with a fist and bashed one in the helmet. Azure was, after all, strong enough to dent metal if he focused himself hard enough. As a result, it was somewhat surprising to him, though no one else, that he recoiled his hand in pain and the enemy himself didn't react.

"Smooth move, human…" Carbuncle snorted.

"Stand back." Shelke ordered.

Azure didn't question or wait. Immediately, he went back and pressed himself against the wall. He turned and looked to Shelke, and saw her go for her weapons again. Then he saw her eyes. For a brief moment…they suddenly ignited, becoming orange energy flames in her sockets. Azure saw this, and realized what she was going to do.

It didn't change the fact that he was still overwhelmed as he saw six Shelkes made out of energy lash out as one, sending their pipe weapons straight into the skulls of six different enemies, each trying to force their way into the elevator. The sheer power and speed made the enemies' heads snap back viciously, and as if they were their own red rockets, their bodies flew away at sonic speeds. They smashed into their own allies as they did so with sufficient force to knock them off their feet and back into their comrades. Soon, a domino effect went off, sending all of the enemy away from them and to the floor. But Azure only got to marvel at it for a moment. With the doorway clear, soon the elevator shut. As soon as it did, the feeling of movement began. They were starting their descent.

Azure leaned back a bit and let out a sigh of relief.

"Uh…"

However, the sound he soon heard distracted him. He turned his head, and was just in time to see Shelke stagger, nearly collapsing as her head bowed. The youth reacted with surprise and concern. Immediately, he reached out and supported her.

"…I don't need your help." She coldly answered…yet didn't try to bat him away as he helped steady her. "I just…drained my reserves, is all. I'll need another recharge soon… I can get a mako infusion in the lab…"

"I'll be happy for some water…" Carbuncle complained from the floor. "I've got to get my ruby clean to be of any use coming up…"

Azure stayed silent. However, once Shelke was back on her feet, he released her and moved to one side. The elevator continued its descent. Now that his heart was slowing and the danger for the moment had passed, anxiety began to return. Again, his mind turned to Denzel and Marlene… If they had been knocked down and in that hallway when he broke the ceiling…

Thankfully, he didn't have long to dwell on that terrible possibility. The elevator soon came to a halt. The doors in front of the three hissed, and slowly went open. To Azure's relief, it opened into a regular laboratory area. No modifications or red flames. Everything was shades of white and blue, full of specimen tanks, chemicals, and various testing apparati. Very modern and clean. There were lots of devices there that Azure couldn't even begin to imagine the reason for, but so long as they were post-modern he didn't really care. This didn't have the hand of Diablos in it.

Shelke immediately exited. Once out, she gestured behind herself as she readily made for one of the locked scientific cabinets in the lab. "Get your sword out." She instructed Azure.

Carbuncle readily hopped inside the lab, and then jumped onto a bench and began to look around. Azure himself came out from the elevator, and then did as he was told. He held his hands out, and the Masamune materialized in it again.

"Stab the elevator walls." She told him as she reached the cabinet, immediately bending down next to it.

Azure hesitated only a moment. He then began to realized what she was going for. He nodded, turned, and then drove his blade back into the rear wall of the elevator. With the long length, it was easy.

Almost immediately, the white light in the elevator turned red. A siren began to blare from within it, and Azure had to rip his blade back before the doors slammed on it. Letting out an exhale, he quickly made his weapon disappear again. Carbuncle, who had almost been to a sink with water in the bottom of it, winced and covered his oversized ears at the sound of the siren. He looked up with a frown on his tiny face.

"What'd you do that for? Haven't we had enough loud noises for one day?"

"He triggered the elevator lock down." Shelke answered. Her hands were already going over the cabinet combination. "It will take them quite a while to override it, especially since I ruined the manual terminal." After entering a few digits, Shelke next brought her face close to the control pad. She placed an eye against one region. Azure caught this, and assumed it was some sort of retinal scan.

At any rate, another hiss went out. The side of the cabinet proceeded to swing down on unseen hinges. As it opened up, Azure spotted the source of all the trouble…the same crate he had been helping carry out from the airport that one day.

Shelke grabbed the side of it and gave a pull. Soon it was toppling free from the cabinet and hitting the ground. Once there, she quickly undid the latches. Carbuncle and Azure both moved in here, waiting to see what they would turn up. They were at Shelke's side when she undid the last. After a brief pause, she grabbed the end of the lid and pushed up on it. The case was opened, and the inner recesses were revealed.

Almost all of the foam slots for cylinders were empty…

…But one remained.

Azure reached out for this one after pausing a moment. His hand grasped the lid, and then proceeded to slowly pull up. As he did, the labeling and information was slowly revealed. The essence liquid slowly shifted within its container. Most importantly, however, was the big bold letters that underscored the rest of the writing on the cylinder.

Holy(?).

"It could be a fake." Shelke spoke up. "Planted here by Diablos."

"Oh no, babe…" Carbuncle spoke up. His little black eyes had seemed to expand, and he slowly shook his dusty head in response to Shelke. He pointed a paw at it. "That's the real deal. I can sense all the groovy good vibrations coming off of it. Bastard like him probably couldn't stand to get close to it."

Azure had to admit that Carbuncle was right. Even holding onto it…the pain from his wound seemed less, and his mind seemed more free from cares and negative emotions… However, he was able to shake his head free enough to think of one thing.

"I don't get it. Why didn't Diablos destroy it?"

"Fear, probably." Carbuncle answered with a shrug. "Any of this stuff got on the right thing, and poof…a holy esper comes to life. Even smashing it wouldn't be safe." He paused, and then grimaced a bit. "…That, or he simply thinks nothing can take him anymore…"

Azure felt a cold knot form in his stomach at that. Despite all they had gone through to get this, he found himself hoping that Leviathan and Rex succeeded with their mission.

"Alright, we got it." Carbuncle spoke up. "Let's beat feet."

"Not yet."

Azure had just been opening his mouth to say those very words…when he heard them come from Shelke. He turned to her, and watched as she stood up and began to make her way over to one of the larger tanks in the room.

"After that attack, I'm running on auxiliary." She spoke. "I need to get a mako treatment."

Azure blinked at her. "You want to get a treatment here? Now?"

"At least a partial one. We have a good fifteen minutes before they can break that elevator lockdown." Shelke answered. "It's the only way in and out of this area. Even if they do break it, they couldn't fit more than a few at a time in that elevator." She was already to the chamber. Once there, she began to press some of the buttons on the console.

"What about Denzel and Marlene?" Azure asked. "We need to try and get them out of here, if we can."

"We can't." Shelke answered as she kept working. "If they're still alive, they've been captured. If they've been captured, they're joining the rest of Diablos' legions. If they haven't been captured, they're in the middle of enemy fire. If they're not in the middle of enemy fire, they're hiding or laying low. In that case we could never find them. Main security control has likely been altered since my last interface. Even if I could interface, I have limited access from the lab. I would need to hack through the net to try and link up with main control. And if I could find them, there'd be nothing we could do for them. The only way in and out of this lab is through the elevator or Carbuncle's teleportation."

The esper looked rueful here. "And I can only take us where we've been before…namely back into that lovely corridor we just escaped or other points north…"

Azure hesitated. If he was Denzel, he probably would have insisted that this wasn't good enough. That they had to go back and do something. However, he wasn't Denzel. Shelke and Carbuncle were right. If they tried to go back now, they'd destroy everything they had fought for. They had struggled hard and long to get there. It would be for nothing if they went back. The best thing they could do right now was try to keep on and get the essence out of there.

Still…if they were going to be stuck there…

"…Can you access security from here just the same?"

Shelke let out a sigh. As she did, the chamber in front of her opened. She looked ready to step inside…but she held where she was. She paused for a few moments before she finally gave a response.

"…Once I start my treatment, I'll walk you through a basic hack into the general security levels."

_To be continued..._


	25. Running the Race

The rotted finger with the black talon protruding from it tapped again and again on the mousepad. As it did, one screen of information after another flew by his glowing yellow serpentine eyes. The air in the room was rather dark now, a side effect from his new power bleeding forth from his enraged aura.

The computer rooms had been one of the few left intact during the reconstruction. Diablos still needed them in their original forms. Although the sides were roughly hewn stone and the illumination was torches, the main computers and their hard drives were still intact. That was good, for now the demon in flesh form stood before one of the consoles and ransacked them for information. Unfortunately, for all his power and ability, he could still only search as one man does: via a monitor and looking through each item one by one. All of what he found was already known by one of the countless spirits in his possession. It frustrated him more and more to see nothing new.

This was too slow…but that was all he could do. The only one who could have searched the entire system quickly would have been Shelke, using her synaptic mode dive. Without her, information gathering was a slow and cumbersome process. He hissed at the thought. He bet she knew that he needed someone else from the onset. All of the knowledge and wisdom he possessed…and the one item he needed more than anything was lost to him. There was no telling how long it would be lost either…

He looked up with a sneer around him. The dim-witted Sahagin were trying dumbly to work the consoles around him, aiding him in his search, but they were useless. Their intelligence was too limited to operate them or to know what he was looking for. His brainwashed servants were almost as useless. They had been remade for battle. They weren't allowed enough critical thought to be any more use than some search engine, looking for general terms. That left him, floundering like a mere mortal, pounding away at this console to try and get what he needed… The knowledge continued to eat away at him, filling him with more and more fury as time ticked by…

Then the breaking point happened.

Abruptly, a message popped up on each screen, overriding the normal search mechanisms. A siren began to ring out throughout the facility at the same time. In surprise, the monster shrank back a bit and looked to his console, seeing what had come up. Yet it didn't take long. In addition to his knowledge registering the problem on screen and recognizing the alarm signal, a robotic voice soon rang out to confirm it.

_"Security Breach on Level 02. Southern Military Corridor J2-7. Security Breach on Level 01. Small Projects Laboratory Area 4."_

Diablos looked up from the screen in a flash, his yellow serpentine eyes growing. He knew that area all too well.

_The last essence…_

The demon gave out a mighty hiss…

Two seconds later, and the entire computer room was bathed in flame. The Sahagin that had been there ran for the door, each one now lit on fire. Diablos himself smashed through the mainframes in anger and seized his own computer monitor, flinging it with such force that it smashed into a million pieces, scattering shards everywhere. Only then, roaring with a hellish voice, did he turn and began to walk to the entrance himself. He didn't care about the fact that he had annihilated the entire room and set everything on it on fire. Nor did he care about the heat and flames blasting him as he made his way out. His face was frozen in a look of utter rage and hate, terrible to look at. His power was so great by now that you couldn't even look at the face without feeling the same rage flow into you…

_Damn that girl to the depths of Hell…_ He thought in insane anger. He should have killed her at that diner. Now she was ruining him. He should have suspected she would know a way in. He should have turned his unified mind away from his tasks long enough to destroy that essence. He didn't know how she had managed to get into the facility, but she would never leave again… The chance that he could force her to find the information he sought no longer mattered to him. He only wanted her dead.

Until now, what sense had been in the original Leon managed to hold some sway over Diablos. But he was mostly filled with chaotic, anguished souls…ones that knew only hate and wished only for death and rage. Now they were beginning to rise up, overriding all else that he had attained or was. An overpowering lust from his inmost being was beginning to come forth…one to simply destroy and destroy until the world was nothing more than a hellish wasteland. To bring all things beneath him. The thought of finding the last Cetra meant little to him now. He began to feel he had sufficient power…and that he had delayed long enough. Now was time to rise.

As Diablos reached the threshold and calmly stepped out, he was greeted mostly by the guards he himself had created, but there were still two Sahagin left. Turning away from him in terror, they fled down the hallway. They hadn't even the bravery to stand and cower before him. In addition to them, only one other unit with their free mind remained. Pandemona, who had rushed to the scene as soon as he heard Diablos' attack, now stopped as he saw the monster come forth. Although he lacked the power of expression…one could see him shudder and shake in the face of the power and fury the esper now possessed, and which he now let forth freely… He had stopped in midstep and could come no further. He nearly raised his arms to protect himself…

Diablos glared past him. It was good, for his direct gaze would have nearly made the esper pass out at that point. However, he did come to a halt in front of him, issuing his cold aura over him. His taloned hands scraped the last bit of human flesh off the palms and balled into fists once again. Pandemona, stricken with fear, was only able to stand there and stare at him.

"I've waited long enough…" He sneered. "The attack begins today. I want to be the unquestionable ruler of this continent by midnight tomorrow. All troops will mobilize and march on Junon now. No mercy or prisoners. All must die." After that, he flicked a talon up to the air, toward the sound of the blaring alarms. "As for the intruders…as soon as the lockdown on the elevator is lifted send a canister of napalm down with it. I want the entire lab incinerated."

Pandemona shuddered a bit longer. However, he did manage to find his squeaky, airy voice.

"…We've only equipped half of our legions."

Diablos turned to him here. When their eyes met, the wind esper couldn't help it. He averted his gaze and nearly covered his eyes. However, the look was not angry. The death esper realized that was the truth. He had originally set out more time to craft the magical armor and equip his trolls with it. He expected the full hoarde out for a total victory. And though he planned to send gargoyles, goblins, Sahagin, hounds, and every other beast he had commanded thus far in with them…he realized that he was still far below his intended strength.

But then, he remembered his new powers…and how he was the master of death…

His teeth flashed.

"…Leave that to me." He thought as he already began to summon forth his power.

* * *

"And he's going to be coming here next?" The mayor nearly cried.

Mack gave a frown back to the official. "It's the next stepping stone on his path of conquest. It would make sense. Here has the greatest defense."

Reno himself, now off the desk and with a fresh cigarette, rolled his eyes as he paced over to the wall. "Geez…you guys really know how to screw things up…"

"Hey! We didn't do this!" Yuffie protested with a look of indignation.

Elena wasn't contributing to this, although they were attracting quite a crowd now. Ever since Mack and Yuffie had broken down the main door, security and other officials had been gathering around the entrance. The mayor had told them to stand back, but they had remained there in case of trouble. As a result, they heard the horrific tale that had been proposed. It was rather incredulous and hard to swallow, but the mayor thought that what had struck the city so far was much the same. As for the Turks, sadly, they knew that anything was possible with these guys, and so they had no choice to believe in it.

At any rate, Elena wasn't chiming in because she had pulled out her cellular phone and was furiously dialing away at it. Once she had finished, she quickly pressed it to her head. She bit her lip and nervously tapped her foot against the ground.

"Come on…come on…" She said aloud with growing anxiety. "Pick up…pick… Hello? Krystea? It's Elena! No! Not now! Don't talk! Listen to me! Listen! You've got to lay low right now! There's these things out there! What things? Don't ask me to explain right now! Monsters! Big ones! They're coming for you! Look, just don't argue with me and-"

_BOOM_

Elena nearly dropped her phone as she snapped her head toward the glass window. Not just her, either. The mayor, Mack, Yuffie, Reno, and all of the others at the doorway turned and looked as well. They found themselves staring outside and catching a fireball raising into the air, the result of a rather large explosion. The mayor gaped only a moment before rising from his chair and walking toward the glass for a closer look. The others, save Elena, quickly rushed forward and looked out at the glass as well.

It was deeper in the city, down one of the many streets a good kilometer away from them. But it was targeted at one specific structure. He was just in time to see a large metal spire tower, rising far above everything else in the city, suddenly groan and fall over. Below, muffled through the glass, the sounds of people screaming went out as it went down. Mack himself recognized what it was. It was a cellular relay tower.

On seeing this happen, he swallowed a lump in his throat. What came next was expected.

"Hello? Hello!" Elena cried from behind them. "Damnit!" The sound of a phone collapsing. "I lost her!"

"Gee, I wonder why…" Reno murmured from his own position.

Mack would have explained the reason…but he had no time. Quieter explosions suddenly went off. Not just one this time, but several in a row. And despite how quiet they were, they had enough power to shake the office and the glass. The ones gathered at the window immediately turned their heads. This time, they found themselves looking down the rest of the cliff all the way toward the bay. As they watched in amazement, one pillar of flame after another rose up from alongside the seacoast. But it wasn't buildings this time. Nor was it any other type of structure. It was further out, in the ocean itself, or rather on the coast. As the people watched, the last of the explosions died out…and the last of the large ships in the bay collapsed into the water in a pile of flaming wreckage.

All of the large ships, one after another, had just been blown to kingdom come.

Sirens began to peel out, this time alarms signaling fire trucks were on the way. People screamed far below, audible even from in the office. The four stepped back from the windows. The mayor gaped at it all.

"Good God…" He murmured. "They're starting their attack now…"

"…No…but they will be very soon."

Everyone in the office turned and stared at the entrance at that. They saw that the guards and police who had been there had already parted out of the way, almost shrinking before the form that was now there. His clothing was rather tattered right now, and two different large guns were slung across his back as well as one in his holster. His eyes were red, but they were not the same as those who had been brainwashed. They were far more vivid and intense. Yet even if they couldn't see them, they would have recognized the black hair and pale face anywhere.

Yuffie crossed her arms. "About time you decided to show up."

Vincent Valentine said nothing in response.

Mack, however, looked to him in confusion. "What happened to you? I thought you got stuck in Kalm?"

"To make a long story short…I wanted my guns back." The man coldly answered, as if that was sufficient. "There's no time for details." He turned his eyes squarely on the mayor. The man did recoil a bit from that, but stood his ground. "You've just seen their first wave. My guess is you didn't get all of them when they tried to brainwash this town. Some escaped…passed as normal people. They arranged to sabatoge your relay tower and your boats out of here. They're making sure you can't escape or call for help. They'll be sending an army here next."

The mayor blinked. "An army?!"

"My advice to you is to cut all remaining communication lines, including warning sirens. Everything had to be word of mouth now." Vincent continued. "They have a brainwashing esper. Anyone under her control is going to try and make sure as many people in this city as possible can hear her. Then get anyone who's armed ready for a fight. If you have any defenses left, raise them now while you still have time. They'll be coming down the cliff road and police roadblocks won't hold them."

"Just wait a minute!" The mayor protested. "Who are you? Why is this happening? Espers? Monsters? None of this makes any sense!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Mayor." Mack tried to reassure him. "He's a veteran of the PPA in the Volunteer War. And I'd do what he says. They've already gotten the drop on Edge and Kalm because people didn't react fast enough."

"I have to agree." Reno chimed in. "These guys might cause me a lot of hell, but they don't lie, especially not when bizarre crap like this hits the fan, which I think it's already done and is now in the process of splattering."

The mayor hesitated. He looked around the room at all of the people staring back at him. They held back and waited for his decision. The truth was that the man was confused at all of this. He was barely able to accept what was going on. However…there was one thing that was certain. Whoever was responsible wasn't wasting time. They had already fired the first and second shots, and they had done little to respond. Hesitating again might be disastrous. And so, with that in mind, the official gave a sigh and bowed his head.

"…We have nothing." He stated. "Policemen. SWAT team members. That's all. All of our weapons and heavy guns were confiscated during the Volunteer War and impressed in service. Even most of our armor plating for the buildings is gone. We can't hold off any sort of army."

"Heh…no problem." Yuffie chimed in with a grin. "The White Flower of Wutai is a one woman division."

"They lack major artillery." Vincent said, ignoring Yuffie's boast. "Their main strategy is numbers and charge attacks. If you can force them into a bottleneck, you might be able to get them. Conventional homemade explosives would work. Molotov cocktails, even. The main problem will be dealing with their espers. Only extremely powerful weaponry with highly trained personnel will be able to hold them off. And it will take more than one to deal with their leader."

The mayor grimaced. He looked up again on hearing this…and saw that a Turk had materialized on his desk once again. Leaning calmly over the top and puffing smoke in his face was Reno, waiting for the magic words to be spoken. The official grimaced and let out a massive groan…but then finally had no other choice.

"…Two million. Agreed."

Reno leaned off the desk and slapped his hands together in delight. "The Turks are back in business." He nearly cheered.

"Give me four hours." Mack stated on his end. "I can take _Excalibur_ into the range of Costa Del Sol's radios and send a transmission relay to every remaining airport we've got. I can get our combat ships ready. We drove two of them off once. We can probably do it again."

The mayor himself started to move toward the door. "Since we don't have phones, I'll have to manually get the road construction crews out to start blockading all side streets from the main thoroughfair, and lead them straight in one path."

"Then we all have our little tasks to attend to." Reno spoke up. "Let's get this job done."

* * *

The creatures may have been brainwashed, but they knew a solid wall when they saw one. They further knew that as much as they wanted their prey, they weren't going to be able to get it by clawing at the mound of debris that Azure had dropped on their end of the tunnel. Furthermore, most of them were being summoned at that moment to prepare for invasion of Junon. And so, eventually, the monsters that were filling the third corridor resigned themselves to leave. With some grunting and snarling, they turned as one and began to file out the way they had come. And due to most of the personnel leaving to gather for the impending invasion, it didn't take long before the hallway was actually empty for a brief time.

Only then did a brief light come on within the hallway, just on the other side of the fallen barrier. The air warped around as it did so, and it soon seemed as if the light was somehow "melting" into reality. It took a few moments, but slowly it began to glow brighter. Yet on reaching a certain glare, it suddenly faded once again. And as it did, it revealed multicolored figures. These figures rapidly began to solidify and form shapes, seeming to reform from the melted reality. Soon two young humans had completely taken shape.

Once there, they stayed frozen for an instant, as if they were mere statues or, more accurately, suspensions of reality.

Then…they both came to life.

Denzel, still stunned from the last hit, toppled backwards. However, there was no enemy to hold him up this time. He was on his way down. Yet he didn't make it. Before he could fall too far, Marlene rushed in behind him and grabbed him beneath his arms, stabilizing him. He was heavy, but she managed to stop him before he could fall any further. She held him up for a moment until his own reality stopped swirling and began to normalize again. He blinked a few times, but then let out a groan and looked up. He saw Marlene's face staring back at him.

Instantly, the youth gasped and shot back to his feet. One hand still had a loose grip on his sword, and it immediately tightened as he raised it to the ready. But a moment later, he froze. To his surprise, there was nothing around them. The enemy was gone.

"Denzel!" A loud whisper went out as a hand clamped on his back.

The boy shot around in surprise, nearly leaping out of his shoes. He found himself staring back at Marlene, however. Also, the area behind her, he noticed, was nothing but a pile of still falling debris. The ceiling overhead creaked and groaned, and periodically let down another piece on it. He blinked a few times, and then looked down to Marlene in surprise.

"Where are-"

"Shh!" She quickly hushed him, reaching forward to put a hand over his mouth. "We're still in the military corridor!" She continued in her loud whisper.

This didn't help. The youth still looked confused as he looked up and around himself. "But…where? Where's Azure and everyone else?"

Marlene gestured behind herself, back toward the pile of rubble. "On the other side of that…I hope. That's where the elevator down is. Denzel, we can't stay here. We need to move." She reached out to grab his arm. She managed to take it, and soon began to pull to try and lead him away from the rubble.

However, he stayed and hesitated. He looked to the pile, and back to her. "But…what's going on? What happened?"

"I don't know, Denzel." Marlene answered as she kept pulling. Now, she began to grow a bit nervous and uncomfortable. But it wasn't about their situation. It was toward herself. "I just…I just knew I had to grab you…and I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to very badly… And when I reached out to touch you…words just started popping into my head. Before I knew what I was doing, I was speaking them…we touched…and here we are."

Denzel slowly began to let himself be pulled, but now he blinked at Marlene in confusion. "You mean…" He began to venture. "…You did magic?"

"…I noticed that I always seem to have enough time to get something done…" Marlene almost murmured as she kept pulling him. "…And whenever I want you guys to hurry and stop sparring…sometimes time seems to just fly by. I thought it was just me…but I guess not. I think I'm a Time Mage, Denzel…" She let out a sigh. "…I hope dad takes this alright…right now, I'm kind of glad I'm one. I think I did an escape spell back there. I sent both of us into the future to a point where no enemies were around us. At least…that's how Aerith described it."

"But…what about the others?" Denzel asked as he sped up. "And what about that barrier?"

"I don't know…but I hope they did it while we were going through time." Marlene answered. "We need to hide while we still can…"

Denzel paused on hearing that. That was sure enough. He realized they were back in the military corridor, and that they could be swamped by enemies at any moment. And now, to his realization, they didn't have Carbuncle to help them. If they got found, they were in big trouble. With quite a bit of fear beginning to flood his system, he continued to run through with Marlene, gradually picking up speed until he moved in front of her and took to pulling her onward instead. Very quickly, and taking branches in the path often, they made their way along the corridor.

A minute slowly passed, and each second brought Denzel into more fear. He quickly changed corridors if only to keep them out of view of any enemy in the previous ones. However, there was nothing there. It was a maze, and without the help of Shelke, he realized he had no idea where he was going. The longer he stayed exposed, however, the more vulnerable he felt. He realized he had to get out of here soon, while his luck still held out. He desperately searched for a room, a duct…anything…

Finally, on turning one corridor, he saw something. A much larger elevator, one that looked like it was for freight rather than personnel, and far more generalized, was just ahead. It wasn't guarded like the previous ones had been, and it had only general buttons on it. That was good enough for him. Pulling Marlene along, he ran toward the elevator as quickly as he could. It was at the center of another T-intersection, but he tried to run through it as quickly as possible. As he ran through, he looked to the right and saw the way was clear. But when he turned his head to the left…he saw two armored soldiers with their backs to him. The youth broke into a sweat and Marlene nearly let out a gasp, but they made it through to the elevator. Not caring where they went for the moment, Denzel pressed both the up and down buttons. A second later, and it opened up, revealing a large, empty, scratched metal and grated floor interior. Both teenagers charged in. Not caring where they went, Denzel smashed the lowest button on it. It seemed to take forever, but the doors closed.

They had only started to move when Denzel smashed the Emergency Stop button. With a bit of a shake, the elevator lurched to a halt. Once there, the youth let out a large sigh and practically plopped onto the ground. Marlene herself let out an exhale and leaned against the nearby wall. Both of them held for a few seconds and simply caught their breath and calmed down.

"…I think we'll be safe here for a little while." Denzel spoke up first.

"Alright…" Marlene answered. "But what now?"

The boy looked to her. "…I don't suppose you could warp us out like Carbuncle?"

Marlene looked uncomfortable in response. "That's the first time I even did an escape spell. I don't even know how I did that. I haven't had any training like Aerith's students."

The young man let out a long sigh at this. "…Then I think we're in deep trouble."

"We can't stay in here forever." Marlene spoke up again. "We'll have to go up or down and try and find a way out."

Denzel hesitated here, looking around a bit. Yes, for now, this small sanctuary seemed secure, but he bet that whoever was running the place could override it at any time. For all he knew, there was a security camera somewhere in here watching their every move. If so, then they couldn't afford to do more than catch their breath. He looked around a bit more, trying to see what options they had from here. Frankly, he didn't like the idea of going up or down. Up would likely open into a corridor with more of those monsters. Down would get them stuck. However…there was one other possibility.

"There." Denzel suddenly spoke up, pointing his sword blade toward the ceiling. As Marlene turned and looked, the youth already began to rise. There was an overhead panel in the elevator, probably for service on the cables. It also provided another way out. Once Denzel was on his feet, he moved over to it and reached up with his sword, shifting the top of it. Luckily, it was on only loosely, and it came off easily. A blast of cool air from the elevator shaft came down on them, and the vertical metal tunnel, stretching up into blackness, became visible.

Being the bigger of the two, Denzel first crouched down and let Marlene get on his shoulders. He lifted her up through the opening and let her climb out. Once there, he himself extended his arms and jumped up for the opening. He managed to catch the edge, and Marlene grabbed on with his arms and helped pull him up and through. Soon, both of them were on top of the service elevator.

Once they were both sitting there, Denzel took another look around.

"…What now?" Marlene asked.

However, the youth was already spotting something. The elevator didn't have enclosed walls along the shaft. They opened up in either direction into inner workings and maintenance corridors. He moved around a bit, shifting his position so that he could look around from different angles. After a few moments, he actually got up onto his feet, and then stood on his tiptoes and looked up as high as he could, and then squatted down close to the elevator again and looked once more.

It was while squatting that he saw it. The elevator had stopped just after passing a small metal hallway, obviously used for service and not for major movement. When he squatted low to the ground, he could see that the hallway led to a set of utility stairs that went up…

_Seems like a good start._

"Slide your body off the elevator going that way. Try to get in that hallway. We'll move up from there."

* * *

Rex shifted in his seat frequently, his fists frequently grasping and relaxing the armrests in his chair. Despite how luxurious it was, and how comfortable as well, Rex remembered how not too long ago he had been staring five years in prison in the face. It was going to take him a while to get used to it. It was only because Leviathan had told him to that he accepted Dio's offer for a drink. As he slowly raised his arm to sip it, he shook so much that he must have spilled three ounces before getting it to his lips. Even then, he mostly just moistened his face. He brought it down again, and looked to the left and right.

The goons were seated on the far ends of the box, and kept their eyes on him.

The young man swallowed his drink and looked out in front of him again.

Screens were lit up in Dio's box now, highlighting all of the information that was coming in. Below him, arranging themselves on a rainbow colored track, were various chocobos and their riders. Despite their multitude of colors, most of them were painted. Only a few were true colored chocobos. In particular, a shining, deep sable one that came out was the real deal. That one also seemed to draw Rex's attention more than any of the others. Perhaps it was because the black color made it stand out from the rest of the colored ones. Or perhaps it was because he already sensed that one was bad news for him…

Behind him, he heard Dio continue to argue with a bookie of some sort.

"This is the worst odds I've had in ten years, boss. No one in their right mind is going to bet against Teioh. The best I can offer is 10:9 against him."

"That's just fine. Put 500,000 gil on him. That way I can at least pocket an extra 50,000."

"Joe doesn't like this either, man. You're running an S Class racer against C Class chocobos."

"I pay his salary and he'll do what I say."

A sigh went out from the man Dio was arguing with. Rex heard this all. Although he wasn't that big on the world of gambling, he could realize from this exchange that he was in for a major fleecing. Unless Leviathan somehow had a card up his sleeve…

_Put your hand up._

Rex almost jumped on hearing that sudden suggestion. However, he then quickly raised his hand.

The voice of the bookie called out. "Yeah?"

_Put everything on that one…Blue Cloud._

_…That one?!_

_Rex…_

"…33,000 gil on Blue Cloud."

"Excuse me?" Dio's voice went out.

_Tell him this is just an added wager. You want to make a profit off of this too._

"This is just an added wager. I want to make a profit off of this too."

"Pssh…" The bookie went out. "That'd be something. Putting 33K on a chocobo with 50:1 odds?"

"Take his bet."

A grumble went out. The sound of some scrawling on a pad went out. "…Hope that if there are more suckers like you in the audience, buddy, that Teioh doesn't lose… Could bankrupt the place…" With that, there was a set of footsteps leaving the room.

A heavier set of footsteps soon began to approach. Soon, Dio's huge form was sinking into a much larger and more expensive looking chair next to Rex. His eyes were set on the track outside as he leaned back and folded his arms. "There's no way you could rig this race." He flatly stated. "The Chocobo Corrals are under more security than anywhere else in the park. And tampering with the birds is a one-way ticket to a lifetime in the Coral Desert Prison…for both the one tampering and anyone it would have benefited. No jockey is willing to risk that."

Rex said nothing in response.

"Your innocence will be clear to me if, by some miracle, you win this race. Because it is only through the greatest of luck that you will do so, I assure you."

That was true. A set of rookies against the best racer in the park. As Rex continued to watch and saw the various jockeys come out and begin to take their positions, he noted one particular one with a wide hat and sunglasses. Based on the way he was moving, slow with head drooping and only occasionally looking around, he seemed to be rather sore about the whole thing. He had a frown on his face as he only slowly approached the black chocobo. Rex didn't know for sure yet, because the monitors weren't showing it, but he assumed that was Joe and Teioh. Even they were considering this race almost an insult, apparently. For a moment, the jockey actually paused and looked up to both him and Dio. The big man smiled and held out a hand to him. Joe, in response, merely shook his head and looked away and back to his bird. Rex supposed that Joe knew why he was there, and what he was about to do for his employer.

"Are you certain you just don't wish to give me the money now?" Dio asked as he pulled his arm back and leaned back once again. "It seems almost foolish now to throw you in prison for losing a race you cannot win."

_Deal stands. My winnings and my freedom._

"…"

_…Well?_

_I'm not saying that to him! This is crazy! One black bird is about to send me to prison for five years! It might as well be forever! This is nuts! How is any of this going to get us the Lunarite? Since I started today one bad thing after another has happened! I'm beginning to wish I had tried to steal it! It would make more sense than this!_

_Calm down…it will be over soon._

Rex merely shifted again and waited.

Slowly, the racers finished getting ready. Rex saw something else was going against his favor as the track was set up. It was going to be a long race. He could tell based on the racer information that popped up along with the chocobos on the screens that Teioh was the only one with enough stamina to run hard through the whole course. None of the others would ever make it. The youth felt ready to pass out. Why didn't they just put snipers in the course to kill all the other birds? Or drug them before it started?

As the racers lined up and the track cleared, it became obvious the race would soon start. Yet before it did, a telephone ring went off. Rex turned to the source, and found himself looking at Dio. The large man pulled up a receiver and put it to his head.

"Dio here." He stated. He paused a moment, and then chuckled. "Stupid people come in pairs, it seems." A pause, then a sigh and a nod. "Yes, yes…I'm well aware of all that. I'm already counting his 500,000 gil in my mind as well. Good bye." He turned the receiver over and put it down. After that, he let out a chuckle and turned over to Rex.

"Again, you seem to be my good luck charm. Your 33,000 gil bet, the only one on Blue Cloud, I might add, was enough to attract one of our more richer patrons to think you knew something I didn't. He placed a 500,000 gil bet on Blue Cloud as well."

Rex was a college student, so it didn't take him long to do the math on that. "…That's 25,000,000 gil if he wins…"

"These other birds wouldn't beat Teioh if they were shot out of cannons, my friend. That is the last lesson you'll learn before your descent into the Corel Desert."

The youth really didn't like the sound of that. He nervously turned back to the track and waited.

It didn't take much longer. The starting lights went on, and the birds all stayed in position and waited for the opening shot. Rex grasped his chair so hard he thought he'd leave an imprint of his hand in it. He inhaled and exhaled nervously as the views on the television monitors turned to closeups of the race. At last, the beeping for the starting signal went out. Three times it sounded…and the green light went off along with a gunshot. The birds took off.

Rex looked up to the screen. He couldn't bear to watch it live. Sure enough, Teioh was almost near the front from the get go. Any moment now, Rex expected him the leave the other birds choking on dust, not crossing the finish line for another minute or two behind him. To his credit, Blue Cloud did move up in the ranks fairly quickly. And somehow, he managed to keep ahead of the others. As time stretched by, the other racers started to fall back. Teioh and Blue Cloud were the only ones up ahead, and Teioh only had a small lead on the other. Rex blinked a few times at this, especially since neither lead stretched or shrank as time went by. For a moment…it seemed as if he might actually win this bet…

Dio let out a chuckle as they continued to run. "Don't get your hopes up, my friend. Joe is keeping Teioh at a trot. As soon as he spurs him on during the second half, Blue Cloud will be nothing more than dust in the wind. What a pity her driver has to get your hopes up."

Rex turned to Dio, and saw him confidently looking out at the track. Swallowing a bit, he turned back to it. The two continued to run close to one another, approaching the midway point. The other birds began to catch up again, and Blue Cloud very slowly began to start dropping behind Teioh. It seemed as if the bird's stamina was giving out.

_This is our big moment, Rex._ Leviathan's voice suddenly sounded. _Say you'll take that bet._

_What? Huh? No…no! No more betting!_

_TAKE IT!_

Rex shot bolt upright from Leviathan's sudden yell. In response, he too found himself yelling. "I'll take that bet!"

Dio and the goons alike turned to Rex in surprise at that. "Excuse me?" The big man asked.

_This is our last bet, Rex… Tell him…_

"Double-or-nothing on Blue Cloud!" A pause as Rex turned white…but then felt Leviathan's psychic prodding forcing him. "…I'll take a life imprisonment in the Corel Desert against Odin's Goblet!"

Dio froze at that sudden announcement. But when he recovered, he broke into a wide grin. "So…this is how you make it yours…" He mused aloud in a much quieter voice. "I knew you wanted that the moment I laid eyes on you… And you wish to make it yours by winning a bet that no other man could win. Earning it as a trophy. And you put your own life on the line as a wager…" The man paused for a moment after hearing this. The goons looked to him, and then back to Rex. Dio leaned back as the birds continued to race and stroked his chin. Blue Cloud continued to fall behind, and started to mix in with the other birds. They began to move past him.

Abruptly, Dio let out a laugh.

"I think I misjudged you, my friend. You are made of sterner stuff than I gave credit. You could very well be a man after my own heart." He hesitated a bit longer, and then abruptly thrust his open hand in Rex's face. "We have a bet."

Rex hesitated. He was sweating bullets by now and shaking like a leaf. He didn't want that handshake… However, Leviathan prodded him and forced him to take it. Against his will for the most part, his hand went out and shook.

"You've made this a life and death game, and whatever happens I will enjoy it immensely." Dio answered with a grin. Then he parted and leaned back in his seat and watched. Rex, almost apoplectic, was left frozen in the position of a handshake for a moment, before he nearly seemed to turn and collapse into his own seat. He now had only to watch his fate play itself out now.

The birds continued to run. Blue Cloud fell back among its other racers. A yellow bird began to come forth into second. But no one surpassed Teioh. Even trotting, he kept the lead. They passed the halfway point and continued to run. Dio leaned forward and grinned in delight. Rex tried to keep from having a heart attack. The race continued to get closer. One third left…and still Blue Cloud was behind, now in fifth, as Teioh kept the lead. Rex could see himself as an old man rotting in the desert…

But then…something happened.

Dio's face turned to puzzlement.

"…Why hasn't Joe made Teioh run yet?"

This snapped Rex out of it long enough to actually focus on the race again. Sure enough, they were coming up on the final quarter, and Teioh's lead remained stationary. Perhaps he felt he didn't need to run any faster… After all, he was well in the lead. But the last quarter was coming up. Anything with any stamina left to run would pour it all on soon…

The last quarter came, and still the chocobos remained in their spots. Teioh moved no faster. Blue Cloud stayed where she was. Rex found himself clasping his hands together and practically praying for victory as more of the race went by.

They closed to the final fifth…then the final sixth…still with no change in the lead. But once they hit this last sixth, the finishing line was finally in view. That's when it happened.

Blue Cloud suddenly lowered her head, gave a wark, and then ran as fast as she could. Immediately, she sprinted out from the others. Fourth place…third place…second…she began to inch up toward Teioh. Rex found himself stiffening in his chair and looking out more eagerly. Two of the other C Class chocobos put on the speed, but for whatever reason…it did them no good. They only managed a short gain toward Blue Cloud and Teioh before they slumped and were forced into a snail's pace, soon falling behind the others. Blue Cloud, however, neared closer and closer to Teioh…as the finishing line drew near…

"Spur him, Joe!" Dio suddenly yelled. "What are you waiting for?"

But it didn't happen. Abruptly…Blue Cloud tore by Teioh. He went into the lead and was headed for the finish line like a bat out of hell.

Rex felt his heart starting to beat again.

"She's going to win, you idiot!" Dio cried as he rose in his chair, as if Joe could hear him from there.

But Teioh maintained his trot. It was more than fast enough to beat the others, but Blue Cloud kept running. The bird began to falter and stumble from exhaustion, but she kept running. The distance between her and Teioh widened. In another moment, even the black chocobo wouldn't be able to beat her to the line at full speed.

"Run!"

But Joe didn't make him run. He stayed at that trot. Blue Cloud kept charging forward, until she too bowed her head and only limped forward. Only then did Teioh begin to catch up to her, but it was too late. Though she was only stumbling, she managed to make it across the line before the black chocobo could catch up to her. The flag was waved and the finish alarm was sounded. Triggered confetti rained from the skies as the jockey rose up and reveled in glory.

Rex couldn't believe it…

He won.

The realization took a moment to settle. During that time, Rex stared out like a statue, yet seemed as brittle and flimsy as a pile of dried leaves. Only after a few seconds was he able to blink, the vision of a life in prison fading now. A feeling of safety and victory slowly began to permeate him. A smile slowly started to spread on his face. After inhaling a bit and nearly exhaling a nervous laugh, he rose up from where he stood. In another moment, he might have cheered that he had done it…that he had somehow managed victory despite the complete inability for him to do so…

But only on standing did his peripheral vision pick up Dio, his arms on the railing and nearly gaping at the sight. The goons were also rising. At that moment…Rex felt some fear come back. Perhaps he really had lost after all… Maybe Dio would try and cheat him like last time… After all, he was in his power.

Yet as he feared this, once again the words of Leviathan rang in his head.

_Say this…and say it as calmly as you can…_

"…I said I wanted to play games where I had to guess the character of the other person." Rex found himself repeating a moment later. Dio didn't look to him, but he kept talking. "I guessed that the S Class rider was a true athlete who took pride in his sport. He didn't think it was fair to go against other C Class riders. That's why he never pushed his mount to the full speed. He wanted to give the others a chance to win. I spotted that…and that's why I bet on Blue Cloud. The rider on that chocobo saw things differently. I could see how eager he looked from here. He wanted the chance to beat the best rider at the park."

Dio leaned up from the railing here. He turned his full body toward Rex, towering it and its muscle over him. The young man turned to him, and soon saw his domineering presence over him. He swallowed a bit at that, but managed to look up and try to look as plain and straight as possible. There was another pause between the two, and Rex waited for the answer. After all…even if their own bet was relatively small, Dio had just lost a ton of money, and would lose even more when he had to pay that huge pot of winnings to the other gambler. That might tend to override his playing spirit…

The owner finally raised his hands. They came down hard on Rex's shoulders, clapping on either side with such power he thought he'd buckle for a moment. However, Dio's face then spread into a giant smile, and he let out another laugh.

"In that case, my friend…I say you are a better gambler than I am. You bet your life…but you were smart enough to not gamble it foolishly. It appears now there was a larger chance for you to have won this stacked wager than I thought. But that error is on my part. Very well…the goblet is yours."

Rex nearly melted. Now full relief came rushing into him. He let out a long exhale as the big man continued to laugh. He could barely move or think straight after all that. But in the end…Leviathan had come through. They had won. He must have judged Dio's character far better than he thought.

The large man moved his hand to only one shoulder, and began to lead him on. "Let's go to my trophy room. And next time you're in the area, make sure to look me up. From now on, I place my bets on what you wager on at the Chocobo Races."

* * *

"Azure to Denzel and Marlene…come in please."

"You're wasting your breath. Even if they could respond, the walls of this lab are too deep underground to get a signal out. Continue decoding."

Azure frowned but then got back to the keyboard. He typed in the latest set of commands and pressed the enter button. He looked up to the computer screen afterward, and saw it switch to a password entry menu. Once it was there, he turned his head over to the side of the room. Shelke was now inside the chamber that she had opened earlier, although Azure couldn't see her that well anymore. It was some sort of mako pod, and she was immersed in the stuff. Azure knew enough about science to know that was death for anyone without Jenova cells in their body to collect it and store it, but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"What now?" He called out to her.

"The password is CH37FN39VFBNHQ38DFMJ10VF76K." She flawlessly related.

Azure's eyes widened as he typed in each successive number or letter, hoping that he was right as he entered it. He began to wonder how she could remember a password that long. Yet in the end, he pressed the enter key, and the appropriate screen came up indicating security control. He looked back to her.

"I think I'm in."

"Go to monitors. Use the mouse."

Azure had to look around a bit. This was all very basic and cramped. None of it had anything attractive about it. Obviously, DeepGround didn't care for such things. However, he did find a security monitor icon. He clicked on that, sending him into another page.

A warning message immediately lit up on the screen. It only informed him something he already knew. He was only allowed limited access to general monitors at this time. He sighed and closed it. After that, a dialog box popped up, with spaces in it for blanks.

"There's a dialog box." He called.

"It wants you to specify which camera you wish to view." Shelke answered. "Type 'general list' in all caps. It will give you a menu of ones to choose from."

Azure immediately did so. Seconds later, a huge list of cameras appeared. The youth was shocked. Even for general cameras, the page immediately displayed some hundred of them. However, as the scrolling bar shrank on the sides, he realized there had to be much more… Shelke hadn't been kidding. There was no way he could look through all of this…

Sighing, the youth tried as best as he could. He clicked on the first camera. An image popped up…showing nothing other than an empty hall. He looked over the keyboard for a moment, and decided to see if he could scroll through them just using the page up or down function. He pressed one of the keys, and the screen responded by changing to a new view. Another empty hallway. With a shrug, Azure at least realized he found a way to get through these quickly. He pressed the button a few more times, scrolling through a few more cameras. Nothing overt or out of the ordinary. He couldn't even find any personnel in the first few. He did see that much of the place had been remade to be something rather hellish looking and fearsome. It wasn't just the halls. He kept pressing the button, however, and kept looking…

Then, he stopped on one camera in particular.

"Whoa!"

"What's wrong?" Shelke asked from her tank.

"Not more bad news…" Carbuncle grumbled from the floor. Bored and with nothing to do, he had curled up on it around the remaining essence, and had been waiting for both to get done with their strange machines so they could get on with the rest of the mission. With a tired look, he turned his eyes up to Azure as the young man exclaimed at what he was seeing.

One hallway was stuffed with the enemy. Yet they weren't crammed together or pouring down the hall as they had been before. They were walking in rows, marching down the hall as thick as they could. They were moving at even paces and they weren't crowding. It looked as if this was an orderly movement, not chaotic or rampant as earlier. There could be only one answer. They were moving out.

"There's a lot of them…a thousand…maybe even more…they're moving through this one hallway. It almost looks like a whole army is coming through."

"What's the camera designation?" Shelke asked.

Azure looked over the screen for a moment. "…Alpha-5-R27."

Shelke paused a moment. When she spoke again, her normally emotionless voice took on just a hint of grimness.

"…That's near the main exit point. They're mobilizing."

Azure tensed up on hearing that.

"On the good side…that means that security here will now be lowered. Your friends have a better chance at survival now."

That wasn't the most comforting bit of information in the world to Azure, but he didn't protest it. There were other things to worry about now. "We need to get this essence out of here."

"Great…" Carbuncle groaned from the floor as he began to get up. "I better get the boss on the horn. At any rate, we've got the essence. Hope he knows how we can use it…" With that, the small green creature closed its eyes and began to focus. Azure wasn't sure what exactly he was doing, but he assumed it had some sort of telepathic link with Leviathan. At any rate, he left the esper to it. Instead, he walked away from the screen and snatched up the essence. Once he had it, he went back to the console.

"I'll try to look a bit more while you're recharging." He stated to Shelke.

A moment or two went by after that, in which Azure began to press the buttons again…when a mechanical whirr suddenly went out. Both Shelke and Azure seemed to hear it, for she reacted within the mako tank when it went off. Azure himself looked up and in front of him, his mind already recognizing that sound as an elevator coming to life. Sure enough, it began to hum a second later as the cables within it began to pull the elevator chamber back up toward the top.

"…I think they bypassed the override." Azure stated. His hand was already going to his side to begin to summon his sword.

"…Emergency shutdown."

Azure stopped just shy of bringing Masamune to him, and turned his head toward Shelke's container. The machine started running again, and a hiss went out as the green mako within it began to drain. He realized she had shut it off just now.

"I thought you said you needed an hour." Azure spoke up.

"Fifteen minutes will have to do." Shelke responded as the mists continued to drain.

"I can hold them here for longer. At least another fifteen minutes." Azure answered. "They can't send that many down here at once in that elevator."

The elevator stopped, and the sounds of doors opening, distant and above them, went off.

The mists were nearly flooded by now. They finished emptying, and the hatch unlocked and opened up to let its occupant out while Shelke kept talking. "The only thing of value in this laboratory is that essence. If Diablos has any sort of strategy in his mind at all, which we have reason to believe he does, he won't bother sending troops down here just to be struck down one after the other. It is more likely that he will be arming a miniature high incendiary firebomb down in that car to annihilate this laboratory and everything in it."

Azure paused only for the briefest second to take that in.

Soon after, his palm closed and he turned to Carbuncle. "It's time to warp us out of here."

The elevator clicked, and began to hum once again. It was on its way down. Shelke quickly stepped out of the tank and jogged over to Carbuncle. As for the green creature itself, it opened its small black eyes a moment later, and looked up to the both of them as they approached. He was smiling a bit.

"Good news, guys. Lord Leviathan has the two elements he needs. He's going to get to work right away making the Magical Lamp."

"Alright." Azure answered hurridly, moving over to the creature and putting his hand on it. "Get us out of here."

"Hey! Watch the fur!" He protested. "I don't have much that's still intact after today!" He griped, as Shelke came up to him and placed her hand on him as well. He turned to her a moment later, and grinned a bit and turned his head. "Eh…of course, you're more than welcome too, madam…"

Azure clamped his jaw tighter. "Carbuncle…"

He turned back to him, rolling his eyes and groaning at being interrupted. Shelke herself looked unimpressed by the esper's comment. "Alright… Now, Leviathan's got some new instruct-"

The elevator began to slow down as it neared the bottom.

"Carbuncle!"

The esper gave a huge sigh of disgust. "Fine! Have it your way!" The ruby on his head, now cleaned up, gave out a huge glare of red light. Its shine very quickly grew so strong that it seemed to cover Carbuncle's shape completely. Not only him, but it quickly spread out from there and enveloped Azure and Shelke as well. Both of them vanished into its light too. But then, as quickly as it had lit up, the light died down once again, shrinking back into the ruby from where it came. Only when it did so…no one was there. Azure and Shelke had both vanished into thin air. And when it came back to its origin, it revealed that the figure who bore it had disappeared as well, along with the jewel where it originated. Once the light had fully vanished, there was nothing left behind except the empty air and the abandoned lab.

Three seconds later, the elevator doors opened, barely showing a hint of a metallic cylinder device.

And two seconds after that, there wasn't even empty air in the room. It was immediately consumed as 2,000 degree flames filled the entire chamber and melted all of the contents within.

* * *

Azure had never "warped" before. It wasn't altogether unheard of. The right materia would do it, although it was an expensive thing to find and utilize. The sensation was disorientating. It seemed as if you were being pulled in all directions and none at once for a few brief moments, and all the rest of your senses were simultaneously cut off and overloaded. You couldn't do much other than stand there as the world around you seemed to suddenly turn into a foggy blur and swirl around like food in a blender. However, that lasted only fractions of a second. Then reality readily smoothed itself out and became normal again. Gravity went back to work and all of the senses came back.

It was that sensation that came rushing back to Azure as he, Shelke, and Carbuncle rematerialized. He was still in the same position he had been at the lab initially, with his hand on Carbuncle and standing next to Shelke. But then, he stepped back and let out an exhale. A hand went to his head and shook it, trying to clear the muddling effect he had just been through. He blinked a few times to get his bearings, and then looked up at the area around him.

They were outside again. That much was sure. It was dark now, but he could feel the air against him. It could have been a bit fresher for Junon… He turned his head around and saw that one area of the sky was darker. Very dark. He heard some low rumbling in the clouds, indicating a thunderhead or a thunderstorm. Then he turned his head down and around, surveying the gravelly path he had landed on, and looked over to see a rusted metal wreck of some train, near some old twisted…

_Tracks…?_

Azure suddenly froze. His head rapidly turned after that and looked around himself, wondering if he was imagining this or not. But no…he wasn't. The same trains in the same position…the same ruined stations and tracks…the same dark sky over the center of the city a bit farther away…

Azure turned back to Carbuncle. Shelke had already released him, had assessed the situation, and turned back to him again.

"…Carbuncle…we're in the Train Graveyard."

The esper gave a sigh. His black beady eyes seemed to roll. "Yes, I'm aware of that." He flatly stated.

"…We're supposed to be in Junon."

Another sigh. "Yeah…that's what I tried to tell you back there. Lord Leviathan gave us new orders. The nearest place that has enough holy power within it to refuel the esper that this essence is going to bring out is near here, right within this ruin of a city. So…I got us as close as I could, which was the drop off point from the airship."

Azure blinked in astonishment. "…This is a hot zone." He stated a moment later. "And they're coming out of the base right now."

Carbuncle groaned. "We have to get to the spot in order to revive the esper."

The youth clamped down on his jaw, and then looked up to Shelke. She was looking back at this point. "Then we need to get out of here right now."

"Security is still high here, but not overwhelming." Shelke answered. "From here, we should be able to escape past the outer perimeter. After that, however, my knowledge of the landscape has terminated."

"Then let's just get away from here first." Azure answered. "Lead the way."

_To be continued..._


	26. Friend or Foe

"So you want me to do what?"

"It's very simple." Diablos flatly answered, although, at this point, Siren could see him restraining a great deal of irritation and anger at her not getting the gist the first time. "Send an additional song to the troops. This time, order them to capture the priority personnel targets instead of killing them like everyone else."

Siren crossed her arms at that. For the moment, she and Diablos were in the main throne room. It was getting rather empty in here at this point. All of the troops were mobilizing and moving out into battle. The other espers had not yet mobilized, but they were getting in position to do so. She herself would have to go in soon. She would be one of their greatest assets in the battle to come. After all, she wouldn't have to rely on radio. Her voice alone would win even more to their cause once they arrived in Junon, and would ursurp all of the opponents against them.

However, the esper, despite having tens of thousands under her control, was not well at ease. She had just recently discovered that Diablos had the power to "make units" of his own, and that these ones were subservient only to the will of the esper of death. He was summoning more monsters to his command all the time. Now, she truly began to wonder if she was becoming less necessary…

"I thought these targets represented the greatest threat to your success." Siren protested.

"They also knew the Cetra more than anyone else. They're worth their weight in data. They'll know what other Cetra souls I need. I won't have to waste time tearing the database apart."

_So much power…and you want yet more. If the human race is beneath you now, then what else remains to be a threat to you?_

"…As you wish." Siren responded with the smallest hint of hesitation.

Diablos seemed to pick up on that, unfortunately. One of his dead eyes raised an eyebrow as he stared critically at Siren. The esper saw this, and the power of the stare began to penetrate her…started to fill her with its cold feeling…

_"Lord Diablos…"_

Then, it broke. The eyes of the monster shifted upward, toward the back of the chamber. Now released, Siren didn't dare to keep staring at him. She actually had to exhale, catch her breath after the way he had stared at her. Quickly, she turned her head and looked the same way he did.

In the doorway of the chamber, dropping into a kneel, was one of the "special" cases. Not only was this one given the body of an imp rather than a troll, but Siren had specially brainwashed him in order to have partial conscious thought. The reason was to be able to inspect monitors and security. This was one of the main watchmen who had to be able to see data and interpret it from the old control rooms. Evidently, this one had.

"Speak." Diablos ordered him.

_"The laboratory has been incinerated per your request. However, based on our security records, those who were in there escaped. We have identified one as designate Shelke the Transparent. Another is Azure Strife. The final is the esper Carbuncle. Likely due to that reason, they were able to teleport out of the base to the perimeter before we could dispose of them."_

Diablos paused for a moment on hearing this. His fist clenched, and his teeth grit, cracking some more of the tooth bones within. However, when this happened, he closed his eyes, and began to breath deeply and slowly. Siren kept her eyes on the reporter, not looking back to Diablos to get his verdict. It was too bad...otherwise she might have noticed that he was now having to consciously keep himself calm in order to make rational decisions, and even that was breaking. After about half a minute, the monster calmed down considerably, and smiled.

"Well then…if those were the intruders, then it is very good that we didn't dispose of them just yet. I need them alive to inquire about the final Cetra."

"Shall I go after them?" Siren found herself asking.

"Unnecessary." Diablos answered, even as his mouth began to twist into a rather wicked and insidious smile. "I'll dispatch my elite to take care of them…"

* * *

"Hey you! Get rid of that pea shooter and take up a real gun! …I guess that'll do! And you over there! This isn't time for a lunch break! Move the k-rail into position! Ugh…if you guys were in my old regiment, I'd kick all your asses!"

_Man…I miss being in command._

Yuffie was rather enjoying what brief leadership she had going for herself right now. Being a former officer in the PPA and therefore possessing lots of field command hours along with battle experience, it wasn't long before she was impressed into helping prepare Junon for the inevitable. That suited her just fine. After all, she was supposed to head up Wutai once her old man finally kicked the bucket, and she had longed for the chance to show just what she could do all by herself ever since the war had ended.

Unfortunately, Yuffie had little to work with. S.W.A.T. team members were something, but the normal policemen were not nearly as good. Quite a few of the more seasoned officers had been listening to their scanners a few nights ago, and so they ended up getting brainwashed. That left off duty ones, rookies, and part-time, near-retirees. A lot of them had never fired a gun at anything besides a paper cutout. Even then, most were trained with the basic handgun. Vincent had made clear once he arrived that this wouldn't be good enough anymore. The enemy was going to be armored, and even if they weren't there were still the espers to deal with.

Every shotgun available in the force was being utilized now, but Vincent had doubted their effectiveness. Therefore, without any authorization or orders, he had taken the liberty of breaking into both a gun store and pawn shop, found whatever weapons looked good, and brought them out. They were lying in a pile along with boxes of ammunition right in the center of the street where Yuffie was currently located. Mostly they were high-powered rifles. Two guns had been illegal and kept behind the counters for more shady customers, but they had armor piercing capability. Even so, he had voiced his regret that they had no heavy weapons from the army days. The most powerful weapons were all in his hands, the Cerberus, Hydra, and Griffon.

Most of the police officers were gathered in Yuffie's area right now, milling about the center of the street, grabbing weapons and ammo. Once they were armed, they began to move out to take positions. Barricades, luckily, were made easily enough. Being near a beach, sand was in plenty supply. And they were taking Vincent's advice and making sandbags, thanks to his intel that whatever these monsters were they were using fire rockets of some sort. Aside from them, there were huge construction vehicles down all of the side rows, lowering slabs and rails of concrete into position to create walls blocking the roads off.

Last but not least, Reno, of all people, was seated a bit behind her, bearing about seven crates worth of high proof alcohol and a number of bar towels. For once, him hitting up the bar seemed to have yielded something useful. He was going about turning the liquor and towels into crude firebomb explosives. He didn't mind sneaking a nip every now and then either.

"Best job ever, so far." He commented as he went about his work.

Shera, the kids, and Mack had already left. It was safer for the children to go with him as he went out to contact more airships and to get them ready for battle. Elena herself was off getting the rest of the Turks over to their location. Hopefully, she'd find them quickly enough, according to Reno. Their last message to her had been fragmented but had essentially told her to get moving.

As the last group went off to do their jobs, Yuffie put her hands on her hips and exhaled. No one else seemed to be lagging behind for the moment. She looked up to the sky afterward. No sign of any enemy or airships from up there either. However, the sun was in the process of getting lower in the sky. The day was going from yellow to orange. Looking down from that, she turned her head behind her, back toward Reno.

After a moment, she frowned and gestured to what he was doing.

"Are you sure that's the best we can do?"

"I don't trust these donut shop cockroaches with any of my high explosives." Reno answered as he took a swig from another bottle before setting it down to put a rag in it.

Yuffie crossed her arms and huffed. "Sure it doesn't have anything to do with you getting more to drink?"

Reno gave a shrug and a grin. "Fringe benefits of a hard day at work."

Yuffie frowned and may have pouted or huffed in a moment…but she didn't get a chance. A car horn blaring out, and rapidly growing closer, shook her from her thoughts and almost made her jump as she turned and looked behind Reno. The Turk, on the other hand, quite calmly went about his work without fear. That was a far cry from the other people around. The officers were scattering from an approaching car. Some were even aiming their guns at it. Most were yelling curses as it nearly ran a few of them over. However, no one was hurt when it finally got up to Reno and Yuffie. It pulled into a halt as it came next to them.

The ninja looked inside, and found Krystea in the driver's seat. Rude and Elena were in the back, fiddling with some sort of technology.

"We're here." She announced. Her face was earnest and at the ready, but other than that showed neither excitement nor fear.

Yuffie gave something of a frown to her. However, it wasn't from her driving. "You're supposed to be lying low!"

Krystea's face turned into a frown. "…Like hell I'm going to sit out after this bastard captured my sister. I'll nail him myself if I can.

"Krystea's a big girl. She can handle herself." Reno snorted from his own position.

Yuffie did give a bit of a frown, but nothing else. She didn't know the gravity of the situation nearly as well as the others. Neither was she the most concerned or responsible out of the group. Therefore, she let this slide. Instead, she looked to Elena and Rude in the back and gestured. "What're those things?"

"Heat sensors." Elena explained, looking up from her work. "It'll be dark soon, and we won't be able to see them from a distance. These things are kind of small and generalized, but they'll give a good estimate of how many there are and how close or far they are. We're going to set them up for three miles before the barrier. Then we'll head back."

The ninja groaned a bit more at this, but in the end waved her hand. "Fine…just don't take too long. I want to get the main front barricade set up soon."

* * *

The water gave out a rather loud crash as the head of the great sea serpent Leviathan burst forth from it. A length of its neck came out behind it as the whiskered face shot into the sky. However, that was about as far as it got before it turned its head down toward the shore, halting its ascent out of the water momentarily. After that, it cracked open its beak wide, and proceeded to snap its head down and appear to gag as it pressed its full mouth all the way to the earth.

A movement went up its neck toward the mouth, and then the creature snapped its head up again, keeping its mouth shut as it did so. In its wake, a somewhat haggard, still nicely-dressed young man was revealed. Rex blinked a bit this time, but overall he had the feeling he was getting used to this. In his shoestring arms were two things he somewhat struggled to keep upheld: the Lunarite goblet and some raw Adamant ore.

Leviathan had made a brief stop back in Junon as the sun had begun to set, after Rex had collected the goblet. On arrival they could see that the situation was getting bad. All of the large ships had sunk already. However, it was at least a bit to their advantage. All security personnel were up on the main road, preparing for a fight. And the cover of darkness was theirs too. At this point, neither of them wanted Leviathan seen. He might be mistaken for one of the "bad" espers, and even if not he would cause all sorts of panic. At any rate, Rex was able to commit a small degree of theft from one of the warehouses… It took him some searching to find where the last shipment had gone, but when he got there he was able to get in somewhat easily. Since Adamant ore was notoriously hard to work, its value to thieves was limited. And this was in such small amounts that it was only to be used for analysis work. Besides, there was no one there to guard it. Rex only took a piece of what they needed when he finally got to the crate. That was good, for that was about all he could lift… After that, he ran back to the shore and hopped (extremely reluctantly) back into Leviathan's mouth.

Now he found himself here, gripping their prizes. Rex looked up and around a bit, and soon began to recognize the formation of the rocks, the mountain chains, and the city far in the distance. It was very familiar at this point. He turned his head back to the sea serpent.

"Wutai?"

"The flames of Da-Chao are what I need in order to be able to forge the lamp." Leviathan answered. "But here, we have a problem. I expected to be able to transform back into human form at this point. By now, I begin to fear that I will never be able to do so. I am not technically an esper now. I am whatever that essence brought me back to life as. In time, I might be able to learn to better harness my own psychic abilities to be able to manipulate matter and construct things as our people once did, but now I have no time. That means I need you for one other thing, Rex."

The youth raised an eyebrow here. He had a feeling he wouldn't like this.

"I need you to forge it for me."

Rex immediately felt his stomach tie into knots. His knees shook in nervousness. "Um…wait a minute, Mr. Leviathan, sir… The gambling was one thing…but this is something else. I shake like a leaf when it comes to doing important fine detail work like this…"

"I noticed." Leviathan somewhat flatly answered. "That's why I wish to use you as my avatar."

Rex blinked a few times. "…Pardon?"

"Well…not exactly." Leviathan answered. "Actually, I wish to seize control of your entire body and manipulate it if it was my own. It's a very difficult technique. Not even our Lord Bahamut could ever master it. I believe I am the only one with the mental capability to do so, and it will be a stretch from this range. The point is I need human hands in order to be able to work this, and as I only have scales and body length, this is the only option I'm left with."

Rex still looked uncomfortable. He thought he was finished being Leviathan's assistant after helping him with the materials. Early on, he didn't mind being of some use…but now that he was ending up risking his neck and getting manipulated, it was rather unsettling. He groaned a bit and shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

"I won't do it if you don't want me to." Leviathan answered. "This was forbidden during my administration as well as Lord Bahamut's. But I can tell from the situation in Junon that we're running out of time. As we stand here I'm sensing an increase in dark power from the region you call Midgar. Creating the lamp will take some time, so every moment we have could count."

In the end, the young man sighed. "…Alright, alright…" He somewhat groaned. "If we have to get this lamp finished, then I'll help. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can back down now when we've got so many other things to worry about…"

Leviathan's beak almost seemed to break into a smile.

"Thank you."

Exhaling again, Rex looked up to Leviathan as he felt his body tighten up again. "So what do I do?"

The sea serpent was already closing his eyes. "Just don't fight it when I start coming in. And don't tense up so much."

This only made the youth sweat further. "Great…_now_ I can relax…"

* * *

"Azure to Denzel and Marlene…guys pick up!"

Nothing but static greeted the other end of Azure's radio. He began to wonder if it was possible to even get ahold of them. They were below ground quite a bit… And of course, he feared, this was assuming neither of them had been captured or worse. But he had to keep trying. This was the only thing he could do for them now.

Both Shelke and Azure had their flashlights out and on. The youth was grateful that they were walking around the perimeter of the city for the most part, rather than moving in toward its center. They were running through ruined and rubble lined streets and bits of wreckage, using their beams of light to guide them inward.

This wasn't a very nice place to be, not now or at any other time. Although they had cleared the perimeter of DeepGround, according to Shelke, no one visited Midgar at night. The place was swarming with hounds on the outskirts. Inside, it was filled with even more abominations, ones that weren't afraid of fire or loud noises or anything else that you traditionally used to stave off wild beasts. Thankfully, they hadn't run into any yet, although by now a whole pack could have ambushed them. Shelke and Azure had a feeling that Diablos might be to thank for that. By now, the whole compliment of monsters could be beneath him, marching out to who knew where. If that was the case, then unfortunately he was forced to wish that it was so. He needed them to stay gone for a bit longer. By now, he had a feeling he knew where they were going…

"Denzel! Answer if you can!"

"It's probably a waste of time. Worse than trying to contact them in the lab." Shelke responded. "They're under even more ground by now. Probably areas blocked for scanning. We couldn't have others picking up on our radio activity, after all."

Azure ignored that comment, but put his radio away. It wasn't due to Shelke. It was because of the fact that he didn't like making too much noise, whether they were clear or not. The sky was so dark that the only light in the area was their own flashlights, and with nothing but empty areas with lots of wreckage to hide behind, that wasn't too comforting.

"We're almost there." Carbuncle spoke up. "I can feel it. You've still got the essence, right?"

Shelke had it secure, and didn't bothering answering the question. That made sense to Azure. Did he think they would have come all this way only to forget the most important thing they had come for? He didn't answer either, but continued to move along through the alleys.

It wasn't long before Azure noticed the paths changing. For one thing, they weren't just muddy or barren ground anymore. They began to take the likeness of roads. And as they continued on, the paths looked as if there had been some traffic there. Not recently, of course. But there were imprints in long standing mud and on the remnants of streets that bore tire marks and footprints. That only served to further confirm in Azure's mind where they were headed. He had been here before himself, but he had heard the stories from Denzel and Marlene to truly realize how special it was. The one place in Midgar that no one was afraid to go…and that some people still visited. Even as he approached it, Azure began to feel some sensation of slight warmth and relief come through him…

Soon after, Carbuncle came to a halt. When that happened, a bit more illumination came on. This time, it was in the form of his ruby glowing again. It didn't give off red light, but rather seemed to project its own flashlight beam of some sort straight ahead, focusing it like a laser targeting a specific location. "Right there!" He said, pointing a paw.

Azure and Shelke soon stopped and turned their own flashlights upward. Just as Azure had thought, his beam soon illuminated a few cracked pillars and some lush green growth spilling down a set of ruined steps.

The Baptismal Garden.

"Hmm…I might have known." Shelke mentioned as her beam locked onto the area.

"Well, don't just stand there." Carbuncle answered, turning his beam away from the place and immediately putting it at his sides, beginning to scan around the piles of junk. "Help me find something."

Azure and Shelke both looked down to the esper, who was already moving onto the junk and starting to sift through the top of it. "Find what?" Azure asked.

"Something that we can put the Holy essence into." Carbuncle answered. "Some sort of appropriate vessel…"

Azure paused momentarily. He wasn't aware that the other espers had come to life via finding various other creatures or people to inhabit. However, from what he had gained from the shared stories, he realized that they likely did need something living in order for the essence to go into. With that in mind, he began to turn to the junk himself. Turning his flashlight down on it, he somewhat hesitantly began to join in with the searching.

"…I'll do it."

Moments later, he stopped. He and Carbuncle alike turned back to Shelke. She stood there plainly, not looking the least bit hesitant or reluctant.

"…I'll allow him to be reborn through me." Shelke answered. "Give me the essence."

Azure tensed up at that. He was about to open his mouth to protest, but Carbuncle beat him to it…with a snicker.

"Sorry, toots. But you aren't the right type. You don't just pick something at random. You need something more appropriate. Now come on and help me look." With that, he turned back and continued to search the junk.

Shelke actually seemed hesitant at that, almost put off by that sort of answer. Azure got the feeling she hadn't expected to be so quickly denied. Of course…he was still uncomfortable. Why had she so easily wanted to give up her body? Was it because she thought she had nothing else after this? Or was she trying to atone for something with her life? Either way, it made him rather uneasy. He only reluctantly turned and began to look through the pile as well, though he now had something new on his mind. Shelke herself stayed off for quite a bit, just standing there, before she slowly came forward and started to help.

Azure wasn't sure what Carbuncle wanted. They were making too much noise for a rat. And he was pretty sure anything that cockroaches wanted was gone, rotten, and/or devoured. He didn't think they'd find a bird here either. All that was left besides that were ugly mutants, and Azure was somewhat doubtful that a Holy essence would come from one of those. Appearances could be deceiving though… At any rate, he didn't see anything living as he dug through. Not even a weed or a piece of mold. Shelke herself began to move larger metal pieces aside as they dug, but none of them turned up anything. Carbuncle himself eventually gave up on the pile and turned to the next. Azure and Shelke moved on, but again they found nothing. Just bits of metal and trash. Nothing living at all. Azure began to wonder if he'd settle for an ant if they could dig one up…

"Aha!" The green esper suddenly yelled. "Right here! Perfect! I can sense the essence reacting to it!"

Azure turned to him at this, and was just in time to see all but the end of his bushy tail vanish into a nook within the pile of junk. He scrambled around a bit inside, but then appeared to seize something. "I got it!" His muffled cry came from around his body. He scrambled a bit with his rear legs, but didn't get anywhere. He struggled a bit more, but still nothing. After that, he splayed them out.

"Uh…any help down here?"

Azure grimaced somewhat at this, but he and Shelke immediately went on him. They both bent down and seized a leg of the green creature, and then pulled back. With minimal effort, the small esper came out from the opening he had gone in, clutching the object of interest in his tiny paws. Azure and Shelke were so surprised at the lack of effort needed that they stumbled back a bit, and Carbuncle went into the air a little before they released him, letting him fall back to plop on the ground.

They both looked down as Carbuncle steadied himself, in particular to see what he had found.

Azure himself was puzzled.

It was a 12" tall toy robot. One of the little electronic ones that could barely walk forward, rotate its torso, and make laser gun sounds. It had little light up eyes, but those were cracked. A limb was also missing, and if it had any batteries those had long since fallen out. It looked a little weather beaten and rusty at the few metal parts it had.

But Carbuncle didn't seem to mind. He readily set it upright, and then waved a paw at Shelke. "Well, hop to it, girlie. Get the essence out and dump it on top."

Shelke hesitated, but then went about reaching to unlatch the cylinder from her belt. Azure himself continued to look with some puzzlement. "This isn't alive."

"It doesn't need to be." Carbuncle answered. "Alexander didn't have a living body either. Neither did Diablos, for that matter. I don't get exactly how these things work, but I know that whatever it's going to inhabit is going to be some sort of machine just like the original Alexander was."

"That was something I never anticipated in my own research." Shelke answered as she pulled out the cylinder. She began to unscrew the top. "Will it essentially be a large robot once its complete?"

"Honey, I've got no idea what a rawboot is," Carbuncle answered. "But he's going to be a living construct when he's done. What do you think that Phantom Train became? Now make with the pouring. I'd do it myself if I had opposable thumbs."

Shelke seemed to actually narrow his gaze at Carbuncle's vocal treatment, which actually made Azure a bit surprised, but then she did as she was told. She proceeded to pour the contents of the cylinder on top of the robot. She did so slowly and moved her hand, making sure to get the liquid all over it as evenly as she could. However, Azure immediately noticed an initial reaction. The robot barely stayed wet. Almost as soon as the liquid alit on it, it seemed to evaporate…or be drawn inside the construction… Shelke was soon done. On pouring the last drop, she simply tossed the cylinder and its lid out into the night, to join the rest of the junk. She, Azure, and Carbuncle now watched and waited.

For a few brief seconds, there was nothing. Nothing save the liquid almost seeming to vanish as soon as it had come. But then…the toy robot abruptly started to quiver. It started off as a small tremble almost impossible to see, but quickly built up into a firmer, more forceful shaking. As it did, Azure noticed that the black paint that covered most of it began to chip and flake off. Beneath it was not dull plastic…but some sort of highly polished, highly gleaming metallic luster. That luster wasn't just for show either. Azure noticed the darkness around it seem to part and move back as the luster gave forth some sort of mild light.

Around the broken area where one of its limbs had been…the plastic seemed to smooth and almost extend. To Azure's surprise, it seemed to actually "heal" a little. The missing battery cavity on the back seemed to almost grow the beginnings of a new cover. The remaining limb, if possible, seemed to actually lengthen a little, and the robot appeared to hunch a little as well. Last but not least, the eye lenses repaired themselves. It almost seemed as if plastic, or glass, fluid came out from within the toy, pressed itself against the lenses, and then flattened out to become new plastic, until the eyes were totally repaired. The moment they were…a white light came out from behind them. It wasn't electrical. It was of an entirely different quality…pale yet radiant…beautiful even. It could not have been what the toymaker had intended. As Azure looked at it…he almost felt as if his heart was released from a bit more of its cares and troubles. Old wounds and past fears seemed to fade a bit as he looked at that light. He even felt a bit peaceful…

The trembling stopped. The robot was left standing there. Giving out a little mechanical whir, its head slowly rotated on top of its shoulder. It looked them all over once, but then rotated as much as it could behind it. Azure saw this, and realized that it was looking back…toward the church. Sure enough, a moment later and it began to move its plastic limbs, trying as best as it could to turn its body the way it was looking, and to start moving forward toward it.

"Whoa man…" Carbuncle exhaled. Azure and Shelke looked to him. The green esper's small black eyes seemed to have grown. It was gaping at the toy robot, almost in awe of it and trembling before it. "It's him alright…it's really him. Leviathan told me he fought against Diablos even in death. I think he already knows what he's doing. But man…to actually see him alive…to be in his presence…wow."

Shelke may have been able to look indifferent, but Azure stared at Carbuncle with a crooked eyebrow. The toy was smaller than him, and he acted like he was in the presence of a god. At any rate, the robot seemed to know what it was doing. It continued to turn and tried to make itself go closer to the Baptismal Garden. In the end, Azure spoke up. "I…um…think we should help him out…so he gets regenerated quicker."

The esper continued to stare at the robot for a while longer, still appearing to be captivated. But then he looked up to Azure. "Huh? Oh…oh yeah, right. That's probably good." He said, seeming to come out of a daze. After that, however, he grew uneasy. "But…uh…I ain't touching him. I don't want to mess him up and have him annihilate me or anything…"

Azure stared blankly back at him. He had a feeling Denzel would have something to say about this event if he was here… At any rate, Shelke didn't wait. She immediately stepped forward, scooped him up in one arm, and then began to walk toward the Baptismal Garden. The robot immediately went still in her arm, and slowly turned its head toward her, but other than that did nothing. Carbuncle, however, appeared to turn a shade white and started to run after her.

"N-N-Now…y-y-you be careful with him…you hear? He might take out his anger on me…"

Azure let out a sigh at this exchange. He soon got up regardless, and began to walk after the two of them. As he did, he figured now was as good a time as any, and took up his radio again. Not expecting much success at all, he pressed the button and called into it somewhat tiredly as he continued to follow the others.

"Denzel… Marlene… Please pick up."

Therefore…he was most surprised a second later.

_"…zure…Azure? Do…read me?"_

Azure froze where he stood. Immediately, he spun back around and pushed the radio closer to his head. The esper was almost entirely forgotten. Relief surged into him as he finally heard word that his brother was still alive. The voice was broken up and garbled, but he recognized it anywhere. "Denzel? Denzel! Is that you? Are you alright?"

_"Az…I can bar…you. It's Denzel. I'm…with Marlene. We're…"_

Azure didn't see it, but Shelke had almost immediately frozen as well and snapped back to him. That made Carbuncle stop as well, his head shooting up that Shelke had frozen with the robot along the way to their goal.

"Hey! Don't stop here!"

"You have Marlene too?!" Azure almost shouted back. That filled him with more relief. That meant they were both alive and not captured. "Where are you guys? Are you outside? Did you escape? Are you hurt?"

_"We're still…eepGround. We're trying…a way out. Where are… Did you get the ess…?"_

"We got the essence. We're alright. Denzel, tell me where you are!"

_"I don't know. Some…over here says…Sector S1-A…"_

"Sector S1-A?"

"…Turn off the radio right now."

This comment diverted Azure's attention away from the radio momentarily on hearing this. It wasn't a suggestion or a warning. It had been a command…a stern one. He found himself looking back at Shelke, who now stared firmly at him with her eyes burning.

"What?"

"Turn it off." She ordered again. "Don't ask why. Just do it."

Had this been Denzel, he would have demanded an explanation. However, Shelke was dead serious and cold. Swallowing a bit, Azure did throw one more comment into the radio. "Denzel, Marlene…stay right there. I'll be down there to get you out soon. Just hang tight. Don't move. Azure out." After that, he turned off the radio, and then turned his body fully to Shelke as he put it back in his pocket.

The young woman, however, continued to glare at him. A moment later, she turned away and continued to walk toward the Baptismal Garden. Carbuncle gave a sigh, then turned and followed after her. She called behind her as she walked. "…You should have turned it off the moment I told you. You may have doomed them as well as us now."

Azure reacted to that, his face turning to confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The only way they could have gotten a transmission out is if they somehow got onto one of our antenna boosters for our own personal radio communications to personnel outside the base from within it." Shelke answered. "Those are more general channels. It's more than likely that someone was listening to us. And if they truly are in that sector, which is on one of the lowest levels, and they stay put like you said, then anyone there knows where to find them. They may have also pinpointed where your transmission was coming from, and if so then they know where we are too."

Azure didn't like the sound of that. He swallowed a bit as his fists clenched. Now, more than ever, he wanted to radio them back and tell them that bit of information that Shelke had just said. Or if not that, he wanted to turn and bolt back right away and right now. Now that he knew where they were, and now that the base was emptying, he had a chance to actually help them. However, Carbuncle soon spoke up again to cut off his thinking.

"Just relax. Let's get Alexander in here. Once he's fully recharged, he'll turn that base into the world's largest bowl. We just got to make sure no one gets here before he's ready to kick some ass."

Azure exhaled in response to that. He twisted his jaw and thought. He looked behind himself again, back toward DeepGround, and then forward, toward the Baptismal Garden. They were almost to the front doors by now. He clenched his fists and unclenched them again. Finally, he looked back to Shelke, just as she was crossing the threshold.

"How long would it take them to respond to us if they knew where we were?"

"Using helicopters or drop craft, which is likely," Shelke answered. "About twenty minutes."

"I'll wait fifteen." Azure answered as he continued following. "Then I'm heading back to DeepGround, with or without any help."

* * *

The beams of light stuck out like a sore thumb from a distance, especially when one was at high ground. However, that made little difference to the eyes of who was watching. They were lupine and lined with mirror cells, easily able to pierce into the darkness. They gave forth an ethereal glare as they stared into the night, looking and seeing their prey descending into the Baptismal Garden. The mind behind those eyes knew it had them trapped. There was no escape from that interior. Alright, its sharp teeth parted as drool began to pour forth at the thought of gorging itself on warm flesh and blood.

The eyes flicked to the side, revealing another set of glowing orbs, much like its own, along with a much brighter glowing, much higher set of eyes that seemed to tower over the other two.

_"They are cornered."_ A wolvish sound growled. _"Let's bring their heads as a gift to master…and feed on the remainder."_

* * *

"So how did you do it?"

Vincent inspected the barrel of his Hydra, and checked the clip to make sure everything was moving smoothly. Then he aimed it at the ground again, drawing the crosshairs near the front of the road. The darkness made no difference to him. He could see through it easily enough. "You should be down there staying at the ready." He answered.

Yuffie huffed from where she stood, perched on one of the top rungs of the ladder, and glared at him. Seeing as Vincent was the best gun out of any of them, he had taken a position from where he could snipe any potential enemies. There was an electrical tower not far from the main entrance into town, and he had set up his position there, modifying his gun appropriately. Most of the other officer were camped out below behind assorted barricades. They had a good 200 people now holding the entrance to town. It wasn't the best in the world, but it was the only defense they could manage. Hopefully the equipment they had set up would make the difference.

By now, the monitoring devices were all hooked up. The information was coming back to the Turks, who in turn were relaying their findings to the rest of the officers. Nothing had happened yet, but everyone realized something was likely coming soon. It was night now, and it was clouding over. However, the clouds weren't blowing in from the ocean as they usually did. They almost seemed to be coming from over the mountains…from Midgar. It seemed as if the cover of darkness was spreading out to aid their enemy. It didn't help that only minimal street lamps were on. After all, if too many were active, then all that would happen would be that the enemy would see them when they arrived, but not the other way around. That said, the buildings nearest the entrance to town had two searchlights mounted on them, with two man crews at either, ready to flick them on as soon as their foes arrived.

What Vincent was truly uneasy about at the moment was that it was well past the deadline for the airships to be back. They were going on eight hours since Mack had left. There might have been a problem or a delay, but in either event they couldn't call to find out. Radios were down and they were cut off from the world.

"Come on! Tell me!" Yuffie protested. "Was it really that bad over there? If it wasn't, then are we all getting worried for nothing?"

"It's bad." Vincent flatly answered to that as he reinserted his ammunition clip.

"Then how'd you get out?" Yuffie asked again.

"Most of the time I was hiding or spying." The man responded. "That's all there was to it. As soon as they all went underground, I was able to hike to Junon."

"Oh, come on! That can't be all of it!"

"It's all you're going to hear. Get back into position." Vincent flatly answered.

The ninja grumbled, but then grudgingly began to descend the ladder again. "None of you guys ever let me have any fun…" She muttered as she went down.

Vincent ignored that and set his rifle up at the ready, adjusting it against his shoulder and putting his head toward the eyepiece. This wasn't a time for entertainment. They had to worry about what was coming. He may have been able to get through, but a lot of it was due to luck and his opponents not having a lot of independent thought or reasoning. Now they had sheer numbers and power, and it wouldn't take much intelligence or thinking on their part to lay this city flat. Independent thought might be their only advantage against them.

The man kept his eye in his sight, and used the scope as a binocular lens to look further past the first roadblock. There hadn't been any signal yet, and he trusted the Turks' technology. However, he simply trusted his own eyes more. He didn't expect anything right away, of course. He didn't expect anything for several hours potentially. But that was alright. He had long since trained himself to be patient and hold his ground however long he needed to. If it took all night, he was more than ready and waiting.

Vincent looked to the time. Only a few hours past sundown. You wouldn't know it from the sky. The wind seemed to be blowing somewhat now. It almost felt like a storm was coming, only without the thunder. And somehow, you knew the air was all wrong for a storm too. Everything about this weather seemed wrong. It was like a thunderhead was moving in without the thunder and lightning. The more time went by, the more the feeling increased. Vincent was impervious to most things that would unsettle normal people, but even this didn't seem right and didn't hold well with him. And he knew that if even he was feeling uncomfortable, that something had to be wrong.

He looked through the sight as far as he could down the road. It wasn't far. There was a turn around a cliff edge not too far along, and after that even he couldn't see any farther. However…that feeling continued to grow. It wasn't just something stagnant or static now. Something was brewing on the wind…something more than just weather, even if this thing somehow magically created it. It was something…fouler. The breeze coming in almost seemed to turn his stomach a little. Something on the air…was foul…sour. It wasn't like smelling garbage or a hot spring or any other sulfur product…but it was rotten none the less. Something about the air had turned very bad. And unlike the rest of the weather, this almost seemed to be blowing in from the road…welling up once it struck his "tower". And he knew that if he felt this bad about it here…the people below had to feel it much worse.

What more…that foullness soon seemed to build. And with it, Vincent's instincts began to prickle. He was the sort of man who could feel a sniper drawing a bead on him from two miles away. He knew when danger was about to break. And right now…he felt as if it was almost on them…like some sort of assassin sneaking up behind him. And the more time went by, the more he felt they were already being struck…as if the assassin was taking advantage of their ease so much that it was forcing the knife into their backs as they sat there…

_Something…is not right._

Vincent found himself picking up his radio a moment later and holding it to his mouth.

"Reno…see anything?"

_"Actually we all see something, Vincent. We just didn't tell you."_ A sarcastic answer came back. _"I know what I'm doing, alright? I don't need you making sure I don't fall asleep at the switch or anything. I'll tell you once I see anything."_

"…Are you sure you see nothing?"

_"You know what? I don't need to take this crap."_ The channel clicked off with a blip of static.

However, Vincent wasn't so convinced. Obviously, the sensors weren't picking up anything. Yet as time went on, Vincent felt more and more that he wasn't just imagining things…that something was coming. Something could nearly be there. He kept looking out his scope, but he didn't see anything yet. That wasn't much relief. By the time he could get a shot, they'd practically be there. Then again…he began to wonder if he should be targeting the ground at all. If their sensors weren't picking up anything, then maybe they weren't on the road. Maybe they were sending in helicopters. Or those gargoyle things he had encountered. But he would have heard either one coming… The sensors keyed in on heat signatures. Perhaps he was sending the Sahagin in. But no…he had a feeling it was something more dangerous than them…

He was still trying to think of what horror might be unleashed on them next…when it happened.

He saw dark forms turn the edge of the corner and begin to make their way down the road, toward Junon.

The dark man didn't wait a moment. He immediately readjusted his radio channel, this time tuning it into Rude, and then brought it up again. In the time it took him to do so, a line of forms had already gone across the road and were making their way forward. There were more behind them. They weren't going fast. In fact, they didn't even seem to be marching. They almost appeared to be taking their time at a very slow gait. One other thing was soon clear, however.

That foul odor…it grew even stronger when he saw them.

"Rude, pick up."

_"…Here."_

"Do your sensors pick up anything?"

_"Negative."_

"Then the enemy either found a way to subvert them, or they're disabled. I'm staring at some twenty at the end of my gun sight right now and more are coming."

The other end of the radio went silent momentarily. No doubt, Rude was relaying that to the others. Vincent immediately aimed his barrel at the nearest approaching form. More were still coming…indeed looking like they were making up a solid army. But something else about this wasn't right. They were moving too slowly… They weren't charging or opening fire or anything. Surely they had to see Junon by now. Why weren't they reacting in some way?

_This isn't right…_

_"Are you sure, big brother?"_ Krystea's voice came back on. _"I don't see anything yet. I think…I think I might see something moving in the shadows, but I can't tell…"_

Vincent didn't answer. He decided to let his next action speak instead. The figures may have been moving slowly, but they'd soon be visible to whoever was guarding the front rail. By that point, if they decided to open fire en masse, it might be too late. They had to start shooting them now. With that in mind, he aimed his Hydra at the skull of his first target and pulled the trigger.

There was no silencer on his weapon. The rifle gave a rather loud noise as the bullet impacted the dark figure. It staggered once. That surprised Vincent. He thought it was a clean hit. However, it went down none the less afterward. The noise had been enough, luckily. He began to hear people calling out below and starting to get up and alert. One man cried out what was going on. Another called for the searchlights, which was exactly what Vincent wanted. However, as he cocked his weapon and took aim at a new target…he noticed the black forms hadn't even reacted. That made no sense. Being brainwashed into not reacting with fear when a comrade got his brains blown out was one thing. To not respond to the fact that one of them had just gotten sniped was another. They should have run…taken cover…opened fire…something. The man aimed at another figure and dropped him with his next shot. Still nothing…

Large clicking sounds went out. Moments later, and the two searchlights ignited. They swept down in front of the main barricade instantly to see if there was any commotion there or enemy sneaking up on them. Soon after, they lit on the same dark figures Vincent had seen.

Three of the less seasoned policemen screamed. All of the others staggered back in horror.

Vincent himself was forced to pause and stare at the sight of his opponents.

It was a legion of the undead. They were shuffling forward as one large mass. Some bore the markings of those who were killed in Edge and Kalm over the past few days. Others wore DeepGround uniforms. Still others wore suits or dresses…as if they had clawed their way out of their graves. Some bore terrible wounds. Others were rotting to the point of much of their skeleton being exposed. Some were literally dripping bits of flesh to the ground as they walked. The only thing that united them all were their eyes…or lack thereof. It looked as if rats or other vicious, small creatures had gnawed out their sockets. The only thing left was an unholy black fire…a false soul that had claimed the abandoned flesh…each one originating from the master of death himself…Diablos.

No weapons. No armor. No insignias. Some still had dirt and worms on them. They merely staggered forward as one massive wave. Each one was dead. That was why they hadn't set off the sensors. Thousands of them could have come. Tens of thousands. And they wouldn't have set off any sensors because their bodies were cold, rotting flesh. And now, as a flood of rot and decay, they shuffled slowly toward the main barrier. Their bony fingers reached out to it. Their jaws opened and closed as if they hungered for it…or what was beyond it…

The defenders were petrified. They had been gearing up to fight monsters. Now they had to face zombies. The terror was too much. One of the frontline defenders dropped his shotgun, turned, and ran away. Two more soon joined them. The sounds of other guns dropping soon joined. They were breaking, and they were setting off a chain reaction. As some gave in to fear, they eroded the confidence of whoever was left. They'd all break away soon.

As a result, Vincent leaned back forward, put his head back into his gun, and proceeded to fire a round into the next person in line. Immediately, the top of the head erupted. Bits of gray skull matter, cold brain tissue, and black, immobile blood splattered everywhere. However, the thing let out one dead breath, grasped forward once more, and then stood still as the flames in its eyes were abruptly quenched. They turned into plumes of black smoke, and then faded into the air. The corpse, lifeless again, collapsed to the ground and moved no more. Immediately, he continued to pump out shots. He dropped a fourth…a fifth…a sixth…

"Don't just stand there! Let 'em have it!" Yuffie's voice cried. A moment later, and her shuriken flung out. Two of the front zombies were sliced in half. Their black flames also died, and their carrion bodies fell to the ground. The shuriken came back and was immediately flung again, joining in with Vincent's shooting…although neither he nor anyone else noticed Yuffie give out a cry of disgust when she touched rotten matter residue on her shuriken when it came back.

Luckily, it seemed to work. Soon, the remaining officers aimed their weapons at the front lines and unloaded. The air was shattered with sounds of cracks of gunfire, and a rain of bullets came forward and cut into the enemy.

Soon, black blood was erupting everywhere along the encroaching zombies. Body parts erupted or fell off left and right. The undead gurgled and gagged as they were turned into flesh matter by the weapons before collapsing to the ground. Their brethren, either too unintelligent or too slow to know any better, collapsed over their bodies when they tripped on them soon after. Guns cocked and refired again and again, and bullets continued to fall on them like raindrops, only causing splashes of blood rather than water.

However…it wasn't enough.

The shots weren't focused like Vincent and Yuffie's. They went everywhere. And though the shotgun shells ripped quite a few of them to pieces, it only happened after several rounds. Ones that were merely being hit in the torso kept coming until enough gunfire ripped that portion of their body away. Only direct head shots were putting them down. But even when they were destroying them, more were coming. Vincent watched and saw more and more come around from the side, with no end in sight. They were forming a living…dead…wall as they made their way onward. And until one of them fell down, he or she served as a shield against the firepower for all the ones behind it. Implementing the firebombs hardly helped. Each one engulfed a group of them in flames. Yet that meant little. They felt no pain, and so they continued to walk forward until they were either further consumed or blown down. If anything, it made them more deadly.

In short, despite the firepower hitting them, they couldn't stop them from progressing forward. They slowed them down but never arrested their progress. They always managed to keep coming. And as Vincent kept shooting, he saw that there was no end in sight. There had to be thousands of them… Sure enough, that region of the world was renown for having numerous deaths take place on it. And there was no telling how many died in Edge and Kalm. The officers fired at closer and closer to point-blank range, but still they weren't stopped. The things made it all the way to the front line, and finally pressed against the k-rail barrier. For a few brief moments, they were stopped there. They piled up against it and continued to get shot, but could move no closer.

At least, for a few moments. That was when their sheer wave of bodies piled up against each other and all began to shove as one. They didn't appear to have that much in the way of strength, but as one… A grinding sound, slight yet pertinent, began to issue forth under the gunfire. Those at the front line didn't hear it at first, but a few moments later and they started to see it. The barricade had been dry stacked, not mortared or anything. As a result…the concrete barriers slowly began to shift and move forward as the wall of death on the other side continued to push. The police were only able to fire a few more rounds into them before the wall began to form a breach…

As that formed, it happened again. More officers dropped their weapons and fled. Vincent himself continued to pump shots into the front line, but it wasn't good enough. They were pushing so tight that they weren't even falling down now. The barrier was continuing to move… Some of the rotten limbs began to reach through the breach, feeling for whatever they could grasp. And unfortunately…they soon had something. One man, a brave one, grabbed one of the Molotov cocktails and ran toward the breach, ready to throw it in and incinerate them. He reached it and stopped, and began to light the rag. That was his fatal mistake. One of the rotten hands shot out and grabbed his head. Despite how weak they looked…the grip had to be iron. To Vincent's surprise…the fingers dug into the scalp and skull, beginning to draw blood. The officer froze in shock, dropping his weapon and screaming in agony. He reached to his head where the hand was, but it was already too late. The monster yanked its limb back, dragging the man up into the waiting arms of the others. They reached out and seized more parts of him, mostly the arms and shoulders, digging their fingers in to draw more blood. Vincent turned his gun to whatever of their heads and limbs he could see and tried firing…but it was no good. The officer kept screaming and tried to fight them off… Vincent saw other hands reach out and seize his legs. Soon they were all pulling him, dragging him into the mass. Before he vanished into the wall of dead flesh beyond, Vincent saw one of the things bring its head forward and sink its rotten teeth into the calf of his leg. Blood splurted out from the breach and stained the ground, and that was the last anyone saw of him.

Unfortunately, most of them had seen enough. Half of the remaining officers at the barrier turned and ran. The others backed up away from the wall as much as they could and keep shooting. But that wasn't much at this point, now that the zombies were right behind the concrete wall. Yet they didn't stop there. They were still pushing. In addition to widening the first breach, they started to break open even more portions. More of their limbs came through as the first breach became wide enough for one of them to walk through. Once it did, they started to push through and come to the other side. They continued to move as slowly as before, but they kept spreading out and coming as well. Vincent turned his shots to these ones. He blew off the first one's head. Then the second. And then the third. After that, he was forced to reload while others kept shooting. But it was no good. More were pouring in behind, continuing to break the barricade. They were coming through in other places as well.

One by one, the defending officers turned and backed down. It wasn't due to fear this time, however. They were running out of bullets. They had to go and load up on more. But while they were backing down, the invaders were still coming. Nothing was even slowing them down as they came through the barricade.

Vincent grit his teeth as he finished reloading and kept firing. He hadn't expected this. They could have only made a minor stand against Diablos as it was. But he never thought the creature would somehow be able to animate corpses and make them fight for him. They'd use all their ammunition on this first wave before any of the enemy troops even arrived. And still, there was no end to them coming in. And their defenders were starting to panic before the real action even began. If they didn't stop these things here and now they'd have half of the city destroyed before Diablos even arrived…and there wouldn't be any resistance left either. They had to think of something soon…

_"Look out! It's one of them!"_

The dark man snapped his head at that. He looked out from the gun sight and down to the road below. There, where the remaining officers were forming a mass and attempting to keep fighting, a single person pointed out and up to the sky. He had to be the one who cried out. Vincent immediately turned to see what it was exactly…but before he even looked up fully he already saw an icy blue light gathering in his peripheral vision.

He himself paused for a moment to see it as his own red eyes expanded somewhat.

A scantly clad, icy-blue woman, emitting the same lit aura, was flying out of the sky down toward the front lines. Her face was firm and her eyes locked onto the wall of the undead pushing its way forward. Her hands were open and her palms turned out, as if she was bringing some sort of energy to bear even as she descended. As she came, Vincent caught a draft downwind of her. It was chilling, like a blast of a freezer in the middle of a hot summer day. Even he stiffened somewhat against it. However, it soon cut off as the woman came to a halt. Apparently having quite a bit of control over flight, she was able to make her body stop in midair, hovering some twenty feet before the line of the undead, flying between the defenders and the enemy. She almost looked like she was making a stand against them.

Vincent, or anyone else, had been neglected to be briefed that they had espers "on their side" by Yuffie, but just seeing this automatically made his mind conclude a fact.

_It doesn't look like it wants to help those things out…_

That seemed to be an accurate assessment a moment later. The woman aimed both of her hands down, and, as if responding to her gestures, the air around the zombie hoard soon began to turn misty, thick, and white…as if it was supercooling. This happened for a fraction of a second, before a sharp, crystalline ring suddenly tore through the air. When it did, the mist around the undead suddenly solidified. The entire front line of them, and stretching far behind them along the entire row, was immediately and completely engulfed in huge, jagged crystals of ice. To the man's surprise, it had spontaneously formed so quickly even he couldn't see it coming. And instantly, the front line of the enemy had been rendered inert once again, regardless of what force was trying to make them move. They were turned into statues as they were embedded in the huge ice crystals, and a larger, thicker barrier now held off the rest of them, forcing them back all the way to the cliff road once more.

Yet even as the ice was finishing forming, Vincent saw two more bright objects sail past the ice woman and move toward the cliffs. He looked up, and was just in time to see what looked like a large fiery demon, enveloped in heat, leaping with superhuman agility from the roof of a building all the way to the top of the cliffs overlooking the undead below as well as a giant bird crackling with what looked like electricity hovering in such a way as to position itself right in front of the same cliff face. They stayed there for only a moment before both launched a combined move. The fiery demon sank its talons into the cliff and ripped off a huge boulder. Immediately, that turned into a fireball, seeming to become a piece of magma in its hands. As soon as it did, the thing raised it high over its head and slammed it down against the rest of the rock face. At the same time, the electrical one fired off a bolt of white-hot energy down upon the same area. The fire and thunder together soon ignited into a massive explosion, sending forth light and heat towering into the sky as the ground all the way into the city shook violently.

However, a greater effect soon took place. The cliff rumbled the most of all, and moments after the explosion went off rocks began to tumble down. There were only a few at first, but soon the area grew more violent as larger boulders started to topple off and fall toward the street below. In no time at all, a rockslide was going off as more and more pieces of the cliff fell, loosened from the destruction of the covering layers. And as the pieces rained down, they soon began to crash onto the road below, and on top of the flood of the dead. Some of them merely crushed a group of them flat before toppling into the ocean. But as more and more kept coming, turning into a rockslide, soon a hail of stones was sweeping them away or burying them.

It took only Vincent moments to realize what was happening. Whatever these ones were, they were on their side, it appeared. Or at least they had no love of these undead things. They were building a new roadblock while sweeping away a ton of them in the process, stopping this assault cold right in the middle of the attack. Nevertheless, he would have aimed at them next and prepared to fire the moment they looked at the ground wrong. As far as he knew, there was no such thing as a "good" esper. And they had also proven in just a few seconds that they were more than capable of wiping out the defenders within moments.

However, he never got the chance.

The people on the ground beat him to it.

The fact that the invasion had just been halted made no nevermind to the frightened police below. All they saw was an unearthly creature hover in front of them. All they knew was that there were supposed to be big, magical monsters from Midgar coming to destroy them. That was all they needed to know. Even as the ice one stopped their foes in their tracks, the defenders forgot all about them and aimed up at her instead. Moments later, and ten different gun barrels cracked as they fired shots at her.

The woman had hardly finished forming the ice when she suddenly arched back and spasmed. She turned her head to the sky and gave out a loud cry. Vincent couldn't see exactly where, but he did see what looked like icy blue blood suddenly erupt from her skin. She was hit…but from what exactly and how bad he wasn't sure. They were firing shotguns at her. It could have been an entire shell or one pellet.

After that, things went a bit hectic. The woman, now looking in pain, began to ascend higher into the sky. But her voice had already aroused the attention of the other two, who were looking back to her. It took them only moments to see that she was struggling, and being attacked by the humans below. Yet even as that was going on, a much higher-pitched voice suddenly started screaming. Vincent looked, and saw Yuffie running out and practically jumping on the defenders who were firing on the woman. That clarified things for Vincent. He lowered his own gun, wishing she had told him about this earlier, but realized the damage had already been done…

A change in demeanor immediately took place over the fiery one. Abruptly, his light seemed to glow more intensely, and the air around him appeared to ripple with increasing heat. Vincent saw his teeth bare, and realized he was rather angry at what the defenders had just done. In a moment, he might have taken off and attacked them. The lightning bird flew in front of him, trying to dissuade him, but he simply snarled and put a claw out to shove it away.

Yet before it could charge in and probably make the situation worse, the woman, out of all people, reached down one hand for her side, and put the other up in front of her, creating a stopping gesture aimed at the fire esper. As mad as the other one looked, it didn't seem like it would make much difference. However, the thing did halt momentarily. And once it did, the ice woman put her hand down and quickly orientated her body away from the defenders below, toward the cliffs and mountains. Even though she left a trail of blue light behind in her wake that slowly faded after her, it wasn't long at all before she had vanished. The bird, seeing her fly off, immediately took off after her, moving even faster and leaving an even more potent trail behind.

The fire one stayed momentarily. It glared at the people for a moment or two, still looking like it might attack. But then, with a snarl loud enough to be heard from there over the settling debris, it turned and leapt into the air again, sailing onto the top of the nearest building, and then took off again, vanishing in the direction of the others. Soon the trails died out, and no sign of them remained.

This all happened so fast that the rockslide was still settling down once the final one had left. However, once that too quieted down and the gunfire had ceased, Vincent too stood up and examined the aftermath as Yuffie's voice became more audible. Far below them, the roadblock had just been dramatically improved. As much as Vincent could see, the zombies were gone. The ones that were embedded in ice weren't going anywhere, and it would take them forever to thaw out from that much. As for the ones under the rockslide, they were obliterated or hopelessly pinned. And the cliff had stacked up stone and debris some twelve feet into the air. Nothing was coming through that anymore, especially since the undead, based on their motor skills, seemed to need a nice flat surface to walk on. They'd never be able to climb over it.

However, Yuffie's piercing voice was what soon redirected his full attention. The officers, still stunned and afraid from fending off the undead, were now confused that they were getting a tongue lashing from the ninja.

"What is with you idiots?!" She bellowed in their faces. "Didn't you see they were trying to help? Why did you have to start shooting at them!"

"Hey! Don't snap at them!"

Vincent had been opening his mouth to say something similar in a more quiet vein, when he was again beaten to action. He turned his head further down the street, and saw that at least some of the Turks had to have been coming to help out. A few moments ago had been a good time for it, after all. Elena was moving forward toward the front lines at the moment, but had her own eyes narrowed on Yuffie as she came out. Rude was following close behind, although when Elena came to a stop he stood behind her and kept silent.

"You said we were supposed to fight those things when they showed up!" She retorted. "How were they supposed to know that some of them were on our side?"

Yuffie did pause at that. A moment passed, and then, to Vincent's groaning and rolling his eyes, she seemed to turn a shade pale and uncomfortable. "Uh…I guess I did forget to mention that part…" She said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Which ones are fighting with us?" Vincent called down, causing the officers, Elena, and Yuffie to turn their heads upward toward him. "We should know from now on what they look like so that we don't have a repeat of what just happened."

The ninja, however, only continued to pause and look uncomfortable.

"…Don't you know?" Vincent asked.

"I never actually saw them…" Yuffie answered apologetically.

Elena let out a sigh of disgust. "We're supposed to shoot them _before_ they have a chance to attack us so they don't do to us what they just did to those things…and we don't even know which ones to shoot?"

"Mack was the one who was supposed to handle that part!" Yuffie protested. "I just joined up with this whole bit recently!" On seeing the critical look that Elena gave her in response, she gave a shrug. "Alright, let's just call up Mack on the radio and…" She abruptly trailed off on saying this, realizing that this wasn't a possibility. "…Oh."

"Don't the Turks have any special small scale communication equipment?" Vincent called up from where he was standing.

Rude was the one who looked back to him with a frown. "…Busted since this cloud started coming in. I'm getting nothing but static."

Vincent paused a moment and considered this. The espers might have helped against the ground troops, but when the enemy espers arrived and fought back, he had a feeling it wouldn't stop them. They had lost at least a third of their defenders to fear from this first wave. He didn't know what they would do when they followed up. He wasn't sure where to go from here. They had put their best foot forward, but it wasn't nearly good enough against even this small group. They were going to need a miracle to be able to stave off the main invasion when it arrived. And currently, they only had one potential ace up their sleeve. With that in mind, he called down with his own suggestion.

"…I move we break apart this early stronghold and move the defenders into more strategic, hidden spots." He began. "Our best chance for victory now is to hold them off when they come until the air support arrives. In the meantime…let's get word out to everyone that those three are on our side…"

_To be continued..._


	27. Wolves of Diablos

"What did they use?! What did those damned animals do to you?!"

"Come on…calm down…"

"NO! I should burn them all to death! Nothing's changed in half a century! They still see us as the enemy!"

"Ifrit…" Shiva managed to respond…although that was all she managed to say at the moment. Talking and breathing hurt. She had been forced to cut off her flight for now, after retreating above the city again. Her hand was down on her side, already turning dark blue from the blood in her veins. She hadn't sealed her wounds yet. They would easily be done with her powers over ice, if need be. For now, however, she was letting them stay open until she could figure out how to get the pellets out. Whatever the humans had shot her with was like no other weapon they had encountered before. It seemed to be dozens of metal balls of some sort, four of which had managed to embed themselves along her back, with one feeling like it was near, or in, her lung. With the positioning as it was, she couldn't figure out where exactly, or reach for them.

Her single word had managed to turn the attention of the monstrous esper, who looked to her with more concern. "They tried to kill you, Shiva!" He protested. "You can't expect me to just sit back! How much pain did they put you in?"

Shiva didn't answer. Instead, with stiff movements, she eased herself down on the rock face, until she moved down onto her knees. Wincing and gasping frequently, she slowly pulled herself over and down, so that she could lay her body flat on its stomach. It took quite a bit of work, but in the end she managed to do so. Once there, she stabilized and tried to breathe for a few moments.

"Are you alright?" Ifrit spoke with growing panic, moving in closer.

Shiva closer her eyes and held two fingers out. She traced a line on the ground with them, and as she did she generated a large pair of long tweezers made out of ice. Once that was done, she exhaled and spoke again. "Quetzacoatl…you need to dip into my wounds and pull those pellets they shot at me out. Ifrit's heat will be too much for me."

"What…wha'…me?" Quetzacoatl answered, her tone clearly nervous. She had landed nearby, but she was being put off quite a bit at the moment. Between Ifrit's ill temper and Shiva's bad shape, she was getting rather afraid. "I…I don't know if I can do that, Shiva. I mean…"

"You have no choice…" She spoke through clenched teeth. "I can't see and Ifrit can't do it. Pull them out. I can't seal my wounds until they're out."

The lightning esper trembled. She was clearly very uncomfortable about all of this. However, she recognized her superior, and she knew she had to help. With much nervousness and reluctance on her part, she slowly leaned her head over and scooped up the tweezers in her beak. Then, swallowing again, she picked them up and looked over to Shiva. Her back was exposed and at the ready for her to make the first move. Quetzacoatl looked up to Ifrit. The fire esper grit his teeth in anger and held back, but didn't offer anything else. He was waiting too. In the end, the bird esper swallowed one final time, and then tilted her head. She moved forward toward the first hole that she could find. Then, she tilted down and very slowly slid the end of the tweezers into the wound.

Shiva let out a hiss. Her face tightened. "Don't push…against the sides…so much…"

"Sorry." She spoke through clenched bill.

"Don't be sorry. Just be careful."

The tweezers began to shake in the wound, driving Shiva into more pain.

"Calm down…"

The shaking leveled off, but didn't stop. "Sorry." Slowly, it dipped in deeper. "…I can't find it."

"Keep going."

Moments later, and Shiva's eyelids tightened as she felt the tip of the tweezers meet the pellet and push it to one side as it went by.

"There…"

"There?"

"Yes…"

The tweezers came back. They felt around a bit more, but eventually Shiva felt them tap the top of it.

"I feel it!"

"Get it out…"

She felt the tweezers open up. They came down, grasped…and slipped. They went down again, grasped again, and slipped again.

"Please get it soon…" The woman stated. Ice was condensing around her eyes from tears forming.

Finally, a firm grasp. "I got…!" Then, after pulling it just a little out, it slipped and went back in again. "…it. Sorry." The tweezers went down and tried to get it again, missing and pushing it deeper inside instead. The bird esper made a sound of panic. Shiva let out a cry of disgust and pain. She was starting to hate this. She almost thought she'd have better luck.

"Careful… Focus…" She said in a strained voice.

"Wait…I have an idea." Quetzacoatl suddenly said. A moment later…and Shiva felt a gentle vibration travel through the ice tweezers. It felt weird, but it seemed to make her muscles tense on her back. That didn't seem conductive to help to the ice esper…but she didn't care a moment later as she felt the tweezers grasp the pellet again, and this time pull straight out. Moments later, she sighed in relief as she heard the first metal ball dropped onto the ground with a light clink.

"I got it. I sent a mild electrical current through the solutes in the ice to make the tweezers magnetic. It was much easier to pull out after that." Quetzacoatl explained.

The ice esper merely exhaled as best as she could and covered the wound with ice, sealing it closed. Nevertheless, the bird esper had almost redeemed herself with that move. "…Get to the next…"

The tweezers went in again, but seemed to more easily get to their business for the next one. So much the better, but Shiva knew she wouldn't feel really good until the most troublesome one was taken care of. At any rate, she held her breath until Quetzacoatl grabbed the pellet and pulled it out, then tried to speak again. "I'll live, Ifrit…but I don't have enough power over curative magic to be able to heal this wound fast enough to be of much help."

This only made the fire esper grit his teeth as he looked down the side of the mountain, below to the city and the humans gathered in it. "Bastards…"

"Ifrit…enough…" Shiva spoke, a bit of an edge on the end as the tweezers dipped in for pellet number three. They came out quickly, and Shiva was very relieved that Quetzacoatl had apparently been getting good at it. "Carbuncle will be back soon and he'll have Alexander with him. Until then…you two will have to do most. I'll see what I can do to help…but it's probably best to avoid as many humans as possible now…" She swallowed and exhaled again, once more feeling a sting in her lung. "Quetzacoatl, this last one's in my lung, I think. Be very careful…"

The lightning esper hesitated at that. When she did come, she moved far more slowly, but also quivering. Shiva began to regret saying anything. However, she simply clenched her hands and waited for it. It was painful, but what was more annoying was that Ifrit took the moment to answer her when she couldn't speak.

"Err…you can be just as bad as father sometimes!" Ifrit nearly snorted. "Why are we doing this?! They see us all as monsters! We're trying to defend them and they'll hunt us down and destroy us like they did in our previous lives! Why should we save them?"

Shiva didn't answer. Not until she felt Quetzacoatl reach the pellet, grasp it, and pull it free. Immediately, she covered her wound with ice. Breathing was a bit easier now, but still pretty far from normal. She started to concentrate on cure magic as she answered.

"Because any future the humans spell out for us is better than what Diablos has planned for us, them, and anything else." She answered. "I don't know if we'll be able to make peace with this new generation, but we definitely won't if we come off as the aggressors. And that only works to Diablos' advantage. Right now, I think he has all the advantages he needs. We can debate where we go from here once he's defeated."

Ifrit snarled again. He didn't care much for that answer. However, he crossed his arms and maintained his emotions in check for the time being. Even if he was more upset about the present harm over the potentially greater threat, he would back down for Shiva if no one else. He stayed quiet. Using that opportunity, Shiva exhaled again and tried to breathe more normally as she continued.

"Now…we've blocked off their entry point, but that won't stop the espers. We better prepare for them next…"

* * *

Azure looked at the time once again. It was approaching thirteen minutes. He let out an exhale and looked up again from it. His eyes scanned the area around him, but saw nothing once again. They were still in the clear. That left him to simply cross his arms and keep waiting.

They had placed the toy robot within the Church at this point, way in the back toward where the altar used to be. After that, they left the garden and began to wait outside. Azure didn't like the waiting. Not only was it still dark and ominous in the area, but there was much to be done. He had promised to stay for fifteen minutes, but it now seemed like an eternity. A waste of time almost. He only hoped that what Shelke had feared didn't come to pass, that his friends were still alright wherever they were. The delay was only giving him time to think about how he should have stayed with them or helped them.

He looked around to his sides. He was seated on the front steps of the church himself. Shelke was leaning against one of the broken columns. Carbuncle was trying to groom himself as best as he could to get some of the dirt and filth off of him that he had accumulated throughout the day. All in all, they were just killing time. Azure cracked his neck and turned back to look out. Everything seemed to be pretty taken care of here, so he supposed he had better think about how he was going to get back in. He definitely couldn't find the way he had entered before. Even if he could, he couldn't go back that way. The truth was he probably needed Shelke's help to find the way back in. And even if he did get back, he probably still needed her help to get back to the right spot and bust them out. That, however, would mean trying to persuade her to help him…

He turned his head to her and looked a moment while she herself stayed stoic and looking at the ground. She had changed, he noticed. Something within her seemed to have altered after their encounter with the espers. She seemed to be more on "their side". However, he didn't know what had brought it on. And it made him curious, honestly. Something about her had kept him curious ever since he first saw her at the airport, seeming like an eternity ago at this point.

He doubted she was one to try and talk about her past, but he was ready to venture another try at asking her…

Yet before he could, something distracted him. The ground beneath him trembled. Feeling this, he turned his head down and looked to it. It trembled again a moment later, this time more strongly. He actually saw a few loose pebbles rise up and shake on this one. It happened again afterward, even more strongly. Whatever was causing it was getting more powerful…or at least was getting closer to them. Not long after, he began to hear the distant sound of something impacting the ground, shaking it again. It was louder the next time. Azure soon realized that it was the sound of something _big_ headed for them.

The youth looked up and out into the darkness. A moment later, and his flashlight beam turned up and aimed for the space between two piles of junk they had come in through. He saw nothing right away, nothing save for the junk slowly fracturing and tumbling down off the sides from the force of whatever was coming shaking it loose. But it was getting stronger and closer. Clouds of dust were beginning to rise, and more and larger bits were coming off the piles.

Azure turned to Shelke and Carbuncle. By now, there was no way they couldn't hear it coming, but he did so none the less. Both of them had dropped their tasks and were aimed fully forward where Azure was looking. Shelke was getting up and reaching for her pipes. Carbuncle himself froze a bit longer.

"…What the hell is that?"

"…Sounds like those minotaurs from the airfield." Shelke answered, pulling her weapons fully out. "We could be in trouble."

"What, Sacred and Minotaur?" Carbuncle asked. "No way. I'd sense them by now. This is something else. But it's still big, so still might be good reason to get worried…"

Azure quickly turned back and drew his own sword. The footsteps continued to get closer as he got into a ready position. He'd say this for whatever it was. It certainly wasn't utilizing stealth. He didn't know whether to be happy or fearful about that. It might not think it _needed_ to sneak up on them, after all. The fact that the ground continued to shake more and more violently as it neared didn't do much to refute that notion. Whatever it was, it had to be huge. Far larger than anything else they had encountered so far. Azure swallowed back a bit himself as his pale green eyes narrowed on the entrance, ready to strike at the first thing that passed between the piles of garbage.

He was so focused on it…that he was caught completely by surprise when the attack came from his left.

Azure's face yanked outward as a powerful blow from what felt like some sort of padded limb struck him across the side of the face, with such force that he was almost completely ripped off his feet and headed for the ground. It was only because he had somewhat braced himself for whatever was coming that he merely staggered back about ten feet before managing to get his legs beneath him. As soon as he did, he turned his head to meet what was coming…only to feel what almost seemed like one blow, but had to be at least two, strike him. Hot pain came out from either side of his head as he felt it bashed either way at the same time. The power was so strong that he released his flashlight. He managed to hang onto Masamune, and tried to lift it to strike at his assailant. Yet that was too slow. A fist drove out and smashed into his pharynx. Azure's eyes widened as he gagged, blood splattering out from his mouth. Yet even then, he wasn't able to see his opponent before two more padded limbs smashed him underneath the jaw. His head flew up as he staggered back, once again nearly knocked off his feet, and this time losing his grip on Masamune. He stumbled backward for another ten feet before falling forward, nearly going down. However, he managed to spread his legs out and put a hand down, just stopping himself. His face now bruised and bleeding, he turned his eyes up to try and see what was attacking him.

It was still dark out, no doubts there. But Carbuncle and Shelke still had their lights, and Azure's own eyes had adjusted to the surroundings quite a bit. As a result, he was able to see an entirely new creature standing before him…or rather crouching and preparing to pounce.

It looked like some sort of tiger humanoid, only more ferocious. It was lithe and rippling with muscle. It did have a deal of longer hair tied back in a tight braid behind its head, almost like some sort of imitation of old kung fu monks. Based on how he had been struck by it, Azure figured that the look wasn't just for show. It looked like a pure monster, but it had struck him like a master of hand-to-hand combat. Its teeth were barred as it practically foamed at the mouth, sneering at him. Its eyes, blood red, showing it was controlled like everything else, were narrowed thin and seeming to almost glow in the night. He could almost sense it eyeing the blood in his veins. Azure himself had never especially feared wild animals before…but seeing this monster of sorts staring him down and looking like it was finding a good place to dip its talons in more than unsettled him.

Slowly, as it flicked a long tail behind it, it reached up a paw/hand to its mouth. It was then that Azure got a better look at its chest. Whatever it was, it was female. However, he was a bit more unsettled a moment later when it extended a row of razor sharp claws, each one dipped in blood. It proceeded to extend its tongue and clean them off.

Only then did Azure realize his chest and stomach also hurt in addition to his face. He tightened up and risked a look downward. To his shock, he was bleeding a great deal from both areas. An "X" of claws had been sliced across both areas. He hadn't even noticed with how fast the creature struck him. And unlike normal wounds, which clotted on him fairly quickly, these ones were bleeding rather steadily.

A loud purr came from the creature, causing Azure to look back up to it. It lowered its paw to the ground and prepared to pounce again.

_"Delicious…"_ She hummed, commenting on his blood.

Azure stared back. He wondered if Carbuncle or Shelke were doing anything right now. Frankly, he didn't risk a look. This thing was watching him too carefully. If they were trying to sneak up on it or something, he wanted it only to focus on him. So instead, his peripheral vision picked up on a gleam of metal nearby, closer to him than to the monster. The Masamune, lying on the ground and waiting to be picked up and used. Of course, even from its range, Azure doubted he'd be able to make it there before the monster cat. Instead, he thought he better summon it to himself…

Yet just as he began to focus on it…a larger form suddenly dropped from the sky and landed right on top of it. A moment later, and with a snarl that sounded feral and canine, the new arrival snatched up the blade and flung it with incredible force, sending it flying into the air and away from the area, over the piles of junk to who knew what place. Azure's attention turned to this new one now, as it was now closer than the other.

This one was more powerfully built and larger. Azure had never seen a creature like it, but as its red lupine eyes narrowed on him, he thought of one thing. Werewolf. It certainly seemed to match the description. It was about seven feet tall, rippling with even more muscle than the other, wearing only shreds of rags for clothes, coated with gray fur, and decked with claws, a large tooth-filled mouth (almost nightmarish rather than natural), and a long bushy tail. A long, bristly mane ran from the top of its head down its back, and as Azure watched it snarl and look at him even more hungrily than the cat, it revealed two giant metal gauntlets mounted on its lower arms. They looked similar to the armor the troll things had been wearing. Yet as it balled its hands into fists, it didn't fire energy. Instead, rather long, sword-sized blades popped out of either one and clicked into place, like large glaives. It easily held these over its head, and seemed to spread into a toothy grin at the thought of carving Azure up with them.

Azure stared at this one nervously for a moment. It didn't matter how far away it had hit Masamune. He could call it back to him. But now, he had to telegraph he was doing so. He had to hold his hand out for a moment. Having little other choice, he was about to do so before the wolf monster made a move on him…

But was interrupted. He heard the sound of flesh smashing into flesh. His head turned to the side, and he was just in time to see Shelke's attempted counterattack fail terribly. She appeared to have been making one of her ricochet dives on the cat, but the monster had seemed to sense her from a mile away. It had spun around and stuck one foot out, so that Shelke had driven her throat right into it. The monster definitely knew what she was doing…and now it was springing on Shelke like a wildcat, proceeding to beat her at a blinding speed and slash her open left and right.

Azure nearly stepped toward her and called out to her…which would have been a fatal mistake. He caught just out of the corner of his eye as the wolf monster lunged forward. He immediately spun back and retreated…but was still too slow. His chest was cut open again by one blade, and he was forced to snap his head away as one of his cheeks were cut open as well. Shocked, and now having his mind filled with pain, Azure struggled to back away before it could follow up, as he held out his hand to gather Masamune to it…

Too slow. The wolf monster let out a vicious roar and lunged at him. The force of muscle and incredible power ripped Azure clean off of his feet and smashed him down to the ground. Masamune formed only to have his hand taken away from it before he could close his grasp. Yet he hardly could focus on that as his body was smashed into the dirt and a few bits of debris and was raked back. Claws dug into his chest and shoulders from the creature smashing its whole weight against him, straining his bones almost to being broken as it dragged him along the ground. Agony flooded Azure's system as the gray creature beat him. But his attempt to cry out in pain was cut short as the massive, thick hands of the creature enclosed around his throat and crushed. Azure's neck, already in pain from the cat blow, soon went into further pain as the monster, eyes lit with sadistic delight and grinning at him, leaned down over his body to crush the life from him. For a moment, the youth gagged from the power of the thing throttling him.

Then, despite his pain, Azure forced his hand to ball into a fist. With as much strength as he could put into it, he lashed up and hooked the wolf creature across the face. It was a strong blow…stronger than most of his normal punches…and yet it only moved his face an inch and turned his snout to the side. However, it was enough to make its smile evaporate. Growling, it plopped off of Azure and backed up before he could give another hit, and then proceeded to quickly stand and yank the youth off the ground by the neck in the process. The force was so strong it made Azure turn purple for a moment as vertigo and force got him on his feet and then into the air. But the monster didn't hold him. Instead, it snapped his body around and flung Azure away from it by the neck. The youth's senses soon took another spin as he sailed away from the monster at a blinding speed…only to suddenly be stopped as he went headfirst into a pile of junk, driving his scalp into all the sharp metal within as well as giving himself physical damage from crashing into it.

Moments later, and Azure slowly slid out again from being imbedded partially into the junk back to the ground. As he came back out, he managed to land on his feet, but there was no strength in his legs and he slumped to the ground in a squat momentarily. Once he came to a stop, he began to pant and slowly and weakly looked up, trying to get his bearings underneath him again. As he did, his dizzy vision managed to look at his chest. All wounds were still bleeding. That cat thing had cut him in some way to make it hard to heal. His vision still swimming, he looked up ahead of him. He was just in time to see the cat monster roundhouse kick Shelke with enough force to send her flying as well, smashing her into the nearest pile of junk as well. And some twenty-five yards away, brandishing both glaives and licking its lips, was the wolf monster.

"Carbuncle…" Azure moaned without looking for him, not daring to look away again. "We could use some help…"

"What do you think I've been doing?" He retorted, his own voice sounding nervous at seeing the beating these things were giving him. "You've got barriers at full. That's why your heart hasn't been ripped out already…"

That wasn't comforting. Azure couldn't tell if he was getting tired and light headed from the beating or from loss of blood. At any rate, he couldn't beat this thing hand-to-hand. Quickly, he held out his arm to summon Masamune again…

Once more, he was interrupted. As the pile of junk behind him suddenly exploded, sending a deluge of metal scrap and trash over him, nearly bowling him over and forcing him to break off to shield himselrf…Azure only now realized that during this entire exchange, the big one had continued to get closer and closer. It wasn't until now that it arrived and made its presence known. Azure continued to cover himself as he was struck by the bits of debris. Yet it had exploded outward, and as a result he was not totally bowled over and somehow stayed on his feet. As soon as the initial eruption was done and while things were still settling, he snapped his head around to see what sort of new devilry had come on them.

Azure had never seen an Iron Giant before. No one had except for a lucky, or not-so-lucky, few. There was a time in the history of Gaia when they were the deadliest things that ever walked the face of the planet. Unknown to Azure, the Emperor of Palamecia himself, even after he had temporarily taken position as ruler of Hell, was terrified of them. Incredible strength…endless stamina…resistance to all but the strongest of blows…immunity to all forms of weakening magic… These things were all monsters in their own right.

Now something about twenty feet tall that at least bore all the superficial marks of one was coming forward on its relatively smaller legs toward Azure. Its body was enclosed from head to toe in thick black armor, and it carried a sword as large as it and as thick as a tree trunk. Its torso was impossibly hulking compared to the rest of it, yet somehow it kept moving. The only external appearance it gave was in its eyes…two white lights that barely peeped out of its huge helmet. However, they were now turning downward on Azure. And once it saw him, it immediately raised its huge sword with impressive speed and swung it down against Azure with inconceivable force.

Luckily, this one wasn't as fast as the wolf. Otherwise, even Carbuncle's barrier wouldn't have been able to save Azure from turning into a smear of blood. Using stamina and agility he didn't know he still had the balance or senses for, Azure leapt backward. The slipstream from the weapon still nearly dragged him to the ground, however, and as the sword smashed against it a practical explosion of debris and metal nearly knocked him back again. The weapon itself dug deep into the earth from its sheer power, and the thing momentarily was hunched over and left only to stare at the young man. Azure, seizing the moment, raised his hand and gathered Masamune once again…

And was once again too late. With a vicious snarl, the wolf monster struck him in the back, slashing him across it as he did so. Azure gave a cry as the force sent him forward before dropping him on his face, raking him across the metal remains and the hard ground. He sprawled out and groaned as he was left once again unarmed and on his stomach.

Yet he had no time to rest. The Iron Giant had its sword up and was bringing it down again. Out of sheer instinct, Azure rolled to the side, just missing another titanic sword swipe. Yet he had to roll again a moment later as the two glaives both were thrust into the ground in his position, one where his head had been and one where his heart had been. The wolf monster wasn't letting up. Panting and growing tired, Azure nevertheless rolled one more time to get on his belly before putting his arms and legs beneath him with as much power as he could manage. With a surge of strength, he managed to push off and launch himself back onto his feet. As he did, however, he grasped a piece of metal junk from the ground that was heavy and solid. If he couldn't get his sword…he'd have to get another weapon…

As fast as he could, he snapped to the wolf monster as the creature was still pulling its glaives out. Once he had him, Azure flung the piece of debris at the monster's skull with as much power as he could put into it. In response, the thing snarled and simply sliced out once. The two halves of the hasty weapon went flying harmlessly to either side. Azure paled as he realized this thing was good with blades as well. Yet that thought was removed from his mind as it spun, moved in with its other glaive, and proceeded to drive it through Azure's shoulder. He felt the slightest bit of resistance from Carbuncle's barrier before the steel ripped out through the flesh on the other side. As blood began to surge from it, Azure's eyes clenched and he yelled in pain. As a result, he was able to do little when the wolf monster yanked his blade out, moved to the side, and proceeded to let the Iron Giant body slam into Azure for all he was worth.

Azure didn't even notice himself flying this time. He only felt his body smash against one of the stone columns a moment later. This time, he heard cracking from within. Some of his bones snapped from the impact. He wasn't stopping his body at all when he went toppling off of it a moment later, once again slumping into a heap on the ground. This time, however, he didn't spring up again nearly so quickly.

The youth's head was reeling and soreness was now on his skin and in his bones. He couldn't even tell what was broken. These things were monsters…but they weren't dumb. They were hitting him every time he tried to summon the Masamune. And he was running out of power… He couldn't keep this up…

An instant later, and the wolf monster was on him again. Once more, its claws shot out and seized him around the neck. His stomach soon turned and his vision blurred as it yanked him up and off the ground. Hot, foul breath blasted in his face as the thing bared its teeth and tightened its grip around his neck. It was grinning again as it glared at him, bringing its mouth closer…

However, Azure still had enough of his bearings for one more move. He only stayed limp until he saw what hand grabbed his neck. Then he opened his palm one more time, on the same side that the monster had him. Moments later, the wolf creature reacted, but he was too awkward at the time to stop him. The blade materialized in Azure's hand and he was able to clench his grasp around it this time. The wolf monster sneered, but just before Azure was able to bring up his weapon to slice it, it snarled and leapt straight up into the air. Azure didn't have time to see what it did, but it outstretched its claws, seized the stone column, and ran up it until it was high enough to spring off and flip back down to the ground in a different area, dodging the sword completely.

The youth didn't care. His large friend was already moving in inside his wake. The Iron Giant rapidly stepped forward, raising its huge blade to bring it down on the newly armed youth. Azure grit his teeth and looked toward it. He was still dizzy and weak, and his entire body was sore. But he had to try and fight. Quickly, he braced his sword to defend against the oncoming blow. However…he realized that was pointless. When it came down, it would have enough force to break his limbs and shatter whatever strength was left in him. He had to make a move first.

Even as he thought, however, the Iron Giant was bringing his huge sword down on him once again. Focusing as much as he could with his shattered senses, Azure focused on the blade as it came down. He made some quick judgements…then moved. As it swung at him, he quickly darted to the slide and sliced upward with the Masamune. The Iron Giant's sword might have been huge…but it was still inferior in almost every other way to the Masamune. Its own edge sliced clean and easily through the larger one's, and soon the ground shook as most of the blade toppled off and fell limply to the ground next to Azure. The huge suit of armor was left holding only a broken hilt.

Azure smiled at that for about one second, relishing his small victory…before the Iron Giant, not missing a beat, simply stepped forward and smashed his other fist into his face, ripping him back, shoving his head into the broken column, and nearly crushing it between the stone and his iron fist. Carbuncle's barrier was the only reason his skull wasn't crushed into nothingness. As it was…pain soon wracked his entire upper body as he felt his face smashed and his head solidly struck by stone. Moments later, and he was once again on the ground…

This time, Azure couldn't even shift. He was too beaten. He weakly tried to look out in front of him to see what was happening, but his entire world was swirling and shifting. He couldn't focus that well on anything. He only saw a mismash and the Iron Giant's legs, moving closer to him. However, after a moment, he started to see some images flowing in front of his vision that he put together. He saw Shelke suddenly thrust into his line of sight, though at some distance. She was being slammed against the ground. She didn't spring back up. Had Azure's brain been working better, he would have realized Shelke had no chance of helping at only a quarter power. She couldn't even pull out most of her attacks. He couldn't tell if she was already out…

Then he saw something else. The cat monster soon leapt on top of her back, extended its claws, and began to viciously tear downward at the woman beneath it. Drops of blood were flung into the air.

Azure's eyes widened slightly. In defiance, and without a weapon, he reached his hand out to her…

A second later, and he was screaming in pain as the blade of one of the wolf monster's glaives came down and pierced him through the middle of the back of his hand. His feeble attempt to try and help Shelke was cut short as the wolf attacked him again. Now, as his mind flooded with fresh pain, he once more felt foul, moist, hot breath blown over his face as the monster leaned in close and growled over him hungrily. As its body towered over him, it seemed like a starving beast ready to feed. He had a feeling that's what it had in mind…

The youth was pinned. Despite being stronger and more skilled than most men alive, he had been beaten rather badly. He couldn't do anything to help even if he was up. These things were too powerful. He could barely even look up and clearly focus enough to see the thing begin to drool again, as it leaned in closer and seemed to eye his neck. In another moment, it would all be over… It was only a question of how painful or slow it would be…since these things seemed sadistic…

Azure didn't know whether to hold his eyes open until they could focus better and watch or close them… He thought of Denzel and Marlene trapped underground. He had abandoned them…and now he failed them…

Yet that was all he managed to think about before the creature in front of him suddenly vanished in the glare of a blast of pure, white light. The thing immediately pulled back in shock, yanking its blade out of Azure's hand. Blood soon began to flow freely from it, but Azure hardly noticed that. Instead, he found his own eyes widening. Despite the fact that the light that had suddenly come on was very bright and intense, he didn't feel blinded by it. Instead, he opened his eyes even more to take it in, as it covered the entire area in a glare of pure whiteness.

It wasn't normal…like from any other bright white electrical light, or even something from the moon. It seemed far more pure and intense. Everything around Azure was turned white by its glare as it shone forth over the entire area. All the blood and wounds on him seemed to be bleached away, and even the night sky appeared to fade beneath the glare from it. As he stared on at it, he began to realize something else. Some sort of ringing…or faint cry…he couldn't tell for sure…was on the wind. It seemed to be drifting on the air, having accompanied the light as it arrived. And now, it was as if a fair voice was singing or humming throughout the sky. Everything else in the night had seemed to grow still and quiet, save for that sound. Everything seemed immobilized or held by the light that now issued forth. Because of that, Azure had a few moments to recover. And when he did, although he was still too weak to stand, he realized where it was coming from…

Inside the Church.

_Alexander…_

A hiss interrupted his train of thought. He focused his attention forward again, and saw that the monsters were shrinking back. It wasn't out of primal fear or anxiety either. They were actually trying to shield themselves with their limbs, and staggered back as if they were nearly cringing. For a moment, Azure thought they had been blinded by the light. He himself could see fine despite how bright it was, but he wasn't looking straight at it. Yet as he kept looking, he realized that wasn't the case. The cat and wolf were slamming their eyes shut and pursing them tight, struggling to block out the slightest bit of light from entering them. Their hands weren't shielding them from the glare. They were trying to protect their eyes…

Whatever curse had them…it didn't like that light. In fact, it seemed terrified of it.

The Iron Giant did little better. It had dropped its hilt and seemed to be trying to walk out of there backward. Yet it was almost as if some force was keeping it there, slowing it down. Its own black armor seemed to turn white beneath the glare, and it was unable to move it, as if it was now the possession of the light and not the thing within. All savagery had left it as well as the other two. Now, they were merely wanting to get away from the light.

They never had the chance.

With a sharp cry, like some sort of heavenly bird yelling out into the night sky, three balls of holy white light erupted from the source. They shot out like streaks of energy, much as the fire weapons had done for Diablos' soldiers. Only these left far more potent trails and seemed natural and beautiful, rather than cruel and infernal. They sailed right to their targets, smashing into the chests of each of the three monsters. Some sort of sonic impact sound was heard, and Azure watched as all three were easily ripped off of their feet and flung backward like rag dolls. Both the cat and the wolf were smashed into the piles of junk still surrounding the area, and dropped to the ground so limply that they had to either be dead or unconscious. The Iron Giant didn't go nearly so far, but the ground shuddered a moment late as it collapsed against it, laying on its back and sprawled out. It moved no more either.

Azure blinked and stared on, wondering if that light had killed them. Yet before he could think any more, two more balls of holy energy came out. One shot over to Shelke and struck her in the chest while she lay on the ground. The other shot forth and did the exact same thing to Azure.

The youth's eyes widened and his mouth opened, but he could say nothing. Suddenly…he was filled with immense, otherworldly joy and peace. He couldn't describe it. His heart suddenly felt completely at rest and his mind totally at ease. A passion for life and love arose within his soul and washed over him, overwhelming him with feelings of joy and exultation. He wasn't aware if he spoke. If he did, it was in some sort of beautiful language unpronounceable to man. He would have smiled if he had the power to do so, but he was paralyzed with the glorious feeling. If this was meant to kill him, then it was a joy to die. He felt he could drown in this feeling of peace and joy, and just dwell there for the rest of eternity, never feeling sorrow or pain ever again…

It died down soon after. It faded along with the glare that had bathed the world in whiteness. As it dipped back, Azure managed to feel himself think and breathe again. It seemed as if his heart had stopped, but it was going again now as the overwhelming feeling left him. Luckily, the memory of it began to fade just as quickly. Otherwise the youth would have spent the rest of his life in misery, longing for that feeling to return to him. Instead, after a few moments, when the pale white light had dimmed and the sky had returned to being night once again, and the ringing had vanished and the sounds of regular wind returned, he only remembered that he had felt very good for a moment, but that the feeling was like a dream that he had just awakened from. He blinked and stared on for a moment, lying on the ground, wondering if he had woke up or had been awake the whole time.

Out of curiosity…he instinctively drew back his outstretched hand to feel himself, as if to ascertain if he was really there. His eyes looked to it as it came…and he froze. He was pulling back the hand that had been stabbed. However, there was no pain anymore, and for good reason. The hand was completely healed. Not even bloodstains remained.

Shocked, Azure sat up in a flash…and received more surprises. He felt no pain anywhere. He looked down over his body, and saw that his wounds were gone…their memories almost as transitory and evaporating as his memory of joy. All of the slashes had vanished without so much as a scratch left behind. His clothing was still tattered and stained with blood, but the rest of his skin was healthy and unmarred. His bones inside felt intact as well. Whatever that light had been that had blasted him, it had done just the opposite of hurting him. It had restored him completely.

Azure, still pondering over this, rose to his feet…and saw he wasn't alone in doing so. Shelke, without a mark on her, and looking even stronger than she did after emerging from the mako bath, also rose easily to her feet. But as Azure looked to her, he saw that she was even more shocked than him. For the first time since he had known her, she looked genuinely overwhelmed. He watched as her hands went down to her backside, feeling along her lumbar region. She turned subconsciously so that her back was to Azure, and pulled up against her shirt. She revealed where the dressings had been that covered up the large holes that had been inside her, forming the connection points for the electronic poles. As he watched, she tore at the dressings, ripping them off easily and letting the bandages fall to the ground. When she was done, her hands slapped smoothly against her back, and Azure noticed why.

They were gone. Her body was restored there as well.

"Phew…saved just in time by the main man himself…"

Azure and Shelke, now both surprised, turned their heads back to the Church. Carbuncle was standing there, wiping his jewel as if he was sweating over it before now. But they didn't see him long. Their eyes went to the doors of the Baptismal Garden. There, Azure saw that, although the light had subsided quite a bit, it was still pure, white, and radiant, and coming from beyond the doors. It was Alexander after all…

Azure blinked and stared silently for a moment back at it. He wasn't sure what to say. He supposed "thank you" would have been nice, but this esper, whatever it was, was unlike any other he had encountered yet. He felt in awe and rendered dumb in its wake…

Carbuncle turned to the doors himself with a grin. "Seems like ol' Alexander's powers are starting to come back."

Azure's head immediately snapped to the green esper. "…Starting?"

"Of course starting." The green esper answered simply. "You didn't think that was it, did you? That's just a small bit of Alexander's full power. He isn't even up to Leviathan's level yet. He can't even express himself yet. Once he's at full, nothing will be able to take him." Carbuncle hesitated after saying that, but then gave a shrug. "At least…I hope not…"

"I feel…different."

Azure and Carbuncle both turned and looked to who had spoken. Shelke had looked away from the Church for now. Instead, she simply looked over her own body. She held her arms in front of her and turned them over and over again.

"He…altered me, somehow…" She spoke aloud. "I don't know how he did it…but something inside me has changed. I can feel it in my flesh…" She blinked and thought about this for a moment. "I can't describe it…but it's like…I've felt hungry for a long time, and now I feel satisfied at last…"

Carbuncle simply raised a paw and waved it. "Yeah, yeah. You can thank his awesomeness later when he's back at full. You humans are in for a rare treat. Only a select few of your kind have ever gotten to see Alexander in action when alive." After that, he turned his head out and tried to look past both Azure and Shelke. "Now what'd he do to those refugees from the local pound? Turn them into dust?"

Azure turned and looked as well to see what Carbuncle was talking about, realizing while he did so he was referring to the monsters. Shelke followed suit, but only slowly, and after hesitantly pulling her mind away from whatever Alexander's power had done to her. However, she was soon as amazed as Azure at what he saw.

They weren't dead. They were stirring slightly on the ground, groaning. Yet the groans weren't ones of coming around or pain…at least not in the traditional sense. They sounded stranger… To Azure, they seemed almost like the sounds that you would think a caterpillar would make as it went through a metamorphosis into a butterfly. Something painful and unnatural, and yet producing a beautiful end… There was good reason to think that…

The cat and wolf monsters both had their backs to them, but they could see enough. Their fur was rapidly falling out. Like some sort of rotten limbs, their tails both disconnected from their backsides and began to shrivel up and dry out into black remains of flesh. The holes they left behind were rapidly closed up with flesh. Their bones and muscles shifted underneath their skin, losing their animal forms and reverting fully into human shapes. As for the Iron Giant, the lights in its eyes went out. Like dead leaves, or maybe bud scales on an emerging leaf, the pieces of armor began to fall off one by one. As they did, each piece, in turn, shriveled up and seemed to vaporize.

Azure and Shelke were stunned. Carbuncle, however, gave a whistle.

"Figured something like that might happen…"

Both immediately snapped to him. The green esper looked up, but gave an innocent shrug.

"Come on. You don't think monsters like those run around, do you? And you saw the red eyes, right? These were just like those poor fools we saw in the base. Diablos used some sort of dark magic to transfigure them into monsters. Damn strong stuff too. Normally, I don't think anything could have turned them back. But Alexander _was_ the strongest of us all…and a Holy esper, and these kind of things crumble easily to Holy espers. And since they're moaning and groaning like regular people, I'd say he broke Siren's control over them at no extra charge."

This made Azure's eyes widen even more. Some of the dark mood he had been forced to dwell in suddenly evaporated.

"You mean to tell me that Alexander could free everyone in Diablos' army? He could break Siren's spell and turn them all back into humans?"

Carbuncle gave a shrug. "Sure, why not? He's probably strong enough to turn everyone back at once…once he gets back to full power, that is."

Azure was stunned into silence. He turned back to Shelke a moment later. The girl stared back at him silently…however, she had changed again. Before, she would have been stoic. Now there was almost some sort of human quality in her eyes… She almost looked just the slightest bit excited to hear that news as well.

"…We've got the stop the guys in Junon from fighting back." He told her. "We don't have to kill anyone in Diablos' army. Alexander can heal them."

Shelke hesitated on hearing that. When she spoke, her voice was still mostly monotone, although her face betrayed a slight bit of emotion returning to her.

"…That won't be easy. Depending on how long it takes Alexander to recover, many more people could be dead if they don't try and defend themselves. And so long as they remain under Siren's control, they will fight to the death."

Azure turned back to Carbuncle at that. "…So how much longer?"

The green esper frowned and gave a shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine."

The youth hesitated a moment longer. He looked back down over his body. He saw that he was healthy and strong again. He didn't even feel tired. With that in mind…he realized he had to put this gift from Alexander to good use. There were still people who needed him. Friends who needed him.

He looked back to Carbuncle. "I think Alexander can handle anyone who comes along to try and stop him from regenerating now. I'm heading back to DeepGround."

"…I'll go with you."

Azure nearly snapped his head around when he heard that. He found himself looking at Shelke…and her staring back at him. She didn't seem firm and resolute as she had been before, but neither did she seem stoic and emotionless. She seemed uncertain of herself for the first time, even a bit confused… But she stood there none the less.

"…I'm glad if you're coming, but why?" Azure asked.

Shelke's eyes faltered. She stared at the ground momentarily. "…I don't know." She finally answered. "I…no…it's nothing…"

Azure was now intrigued. "What?"

Shelke hesitated a moment longer, but then slowly spoke something quietly.

"…When Alexander touched me…I felt…feelings I thought I could never feel again… Now I feel as if something inside me has been unlocked. I can feel what it means to be free…yet I can still remember what it felt like to be Diablos' slave. Until now, I've only cared whether or not that happened to me again. Yet now…for just a moment…I thought of the same thing happening to your friends…" A pause.

"…And I didn't like it."

Azure's eyes widened again. For a moment…it almost sounded as if Shelke cared about them… It lasted only a few moments, however. After this, she managed to swallow and look up, becoming stoic once again and offering no more. The youth couldn't help but keep staring at her. She was right…she had changed inside. He wasn't sure if it was due to Alexander, herself, or something more…but she was becoming less and less Shelke the Transparent, Tsviet of DeepGround…and more and more Shelke Rui, average human girl. Yet he turned away from this for now. It was something else to keep in mind, but they had lots to do still. Next, he looked to those on the ground. Their transformations were ceasing, and they were being left as mostly nude humans, clad only in rags that had once been their clothing before Diablos had done who knew what to them.

Azure gestured to them. "Let's get them closer to the church real quick, first, in case Diablos comes for them."

Without waiting for a response, Azure already took off for them. He went to the former wolf and cat first. He was a bit uneasy to be coming up to them. For now, they looked quite unconscious. Perhaps being brainwashed and transformed had been physically exhausting, and they had passed out after being restored. Yet he half feared that on arrival, if he bent down next to the man to roll him over, he would snap around, still have a wolf face, and would bite him in the jugular. Apparently, Shelke eventually followed suit. As he neared them, she ran up to the former Iron Giant. He cast a sideways glance to it and found that it had never been a true Iron Giant in the first place. A large man had been inside it. Shelke went over him as he reached the former wolf, and went down next to him as well.

Azure's hands went out and grabbed him by the shoulder, then quickly rolled him over onto his back.

While he did so, Shelke gave out her description.

"I think Diablos grafted this metal suit onto him…maybe a large version of what they did to me. One part isn't evaporating, however. It's on his right arm… No…that's not it. It's him. I know who this man is. I think you do as well…"

Shelke looked up to Azure to drive this point home…but she was too late.

Azure was gaping in shock, his face nearly white, at who he had revealed. The eyes were still closed so he couldn't see the look of mako in them, but his mane had already returned to its blonde color, and its bristling look had once again become spikes. Everything else was unmistakable. For that matter, how that her hair was back to its dark brown color and the rest of her body had also returned, there was no mistaking the woman either. Azure knew both of them very, very well…

"Dad… Mom…"

_To be continued..._


	28. In the Caverns of Chaos

Sorry for the long update...but IRL has me swamped. It's getting harder to focus on writing for recreation. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be... I'm afraid the quality will suffer if I push forward too hard.

It was a good thing Rex had Leviathan guiding him now. He long ago would have passed out in the heat of this cave from the strain of staying focused. Rex had lost most of his nice clothing, leaving him wearing only an undershirt and his skivvies as he dripped sweat and worked. Da Chao was a rather hot place when you were working close to the flames. Normally it was safe so long as you stayed far enough away from them. Unfortunately, Rex was not doing that. He was moving in close to be able to actually work in the fires. As a result, all of his tools had to be extra long and awkward in order to manage without getting roasted.

However, it wasn't up to him whether or not he was successful. It was somewhat weird how this was working. He could feel his muscles tensing and relaxing to produce the various movements he went through, but he himself wasn't causing any of it. It was unusual to feel, and a bit nerve wracking at first. But he continued to let himself be used as time went by, and gradually grew more accustomed to it. As a result, he was moving pretty quickly now through the various aspects of construction.

At the moment, he was using a set of extra-long tongs to manipulate a canister of melted Adamantite ore. Getting it that way hadn't been easy. After all, being one of the hardest substances on Gaia, getting it that hot would normally melt down anything else used to hold it in unless very careful. Either the ancient tools found in the cave that Leviathan had picked up were very, very well treated, or there was some property to liquid Adamantite that made it easier to use. At any rate, he took the canister, and then moved over to a circular, concave mold lying open on a stone table nearby. Keeping steady, he proceeded to pour it into the mold. He had barely finished putting the last drop down before he found himself putting the canister and tongs aside, and quickly taking up a matching mold and inserting it into the top of the first, to make a concave disk shape from the molten metal.

_Alright…while that's cooling, over here…_

Telling Rex meant little. He moved over to another work area as soon as Leviathan made his body do so. This one had several pieces of the once united goblet spread out over another stone table, this one covered with carving tools. The goblet itself had already been broken into several pieces. The solid bottom of it, however, had been set to one side. Rex (Leviathan) had already been working on it for some time, before using a stone buffing wheel nearby with a foot powered crank to give it a vaguely concave disk shape. Now he set down and began to work on it again. It was rather thin at this point already, but as Rex's arms went about polishing it and carving it, it became thinner yet.

Initially, the Lunarite had a yellowish color to it. Yet as Rex watched Leviathan work this particular piece, the yellow color appeared to fade more and more, until it became more transparent and clear. However, he continued to make its concave shape. As Rex looked on, he realized Leviathan was making some sort of lens, but one that made everything appear to be upside down when viewed at its appropriate distance. It was rather impressive work to Rex, seeing how quickly it got polished despite how delicate the job was. It only took a few minutes for Leviathan to finish his work with it.

Once done, he put it aside carefully, making sure nothing got scratched. That done, he went over to the mold and opened it. Seconds later, and he was knocking out the inner disk. It had poured well. A bit rough on the edges, but Leviathan immediately went to sharpening those out. That part wasn't easy either. He had to slightly heat it once again to make it pliable enough to start chipping them off. Once that was done, he cooled the remainder in a bucket of water. In the end, he had a perfect reflective disk.

This was taken over to a premade small empty cylinder, open on both ends, also out of Adamantine. Rex's hands took this up along with the metal cylinder, and inserted it through one end, pushing it all the way down until it clicked on the other side, locking into place and becoming the base of the cylinder. Once this was done, he took up the lens next and inserted it in the same way.

_Don't look inside after I've put this in._ Leviathan instructed.

Even as he pushed it to the bottom while he clicked it in, Rex spoke up. "Why not?"

_This is the most important part. This is more than just a lens. This will transfer the energy of an esper into it once they look inside, as well as whatever type of being we have come back to life as. This is what will trap him. I'm not sure if it would work on a human as well, but I don't think we want to take the chance. Once inside, there's no way to release anyone except by breaking the lamp. And starting again would not be that desirable with time as a constraint._

Rex didn't know what to grimace at more. The thought of being stuck inside that lamp or having to go through an ordeal like Dio's all over again.

_We've still got a lot more to do in order to make sure it can contain an esper. And I sense that every moment it takes from here on in might cost us…_

* * *

Daylight only brought a moderate sense of peace to the guardians of Junon. It made it seem if perhaps last night's events had been just a bad dream. After all, there wasn't much sign of the zombies from then. The ice had only just begun to thaw, and the rockslide buried the rest of their remains. There had been no other attack since.

However, for people like Vincent Valentine, morning brought no peace. It had been six hours since the fight last night. Still no airships. He began to feel they would never come at all. Even if they did at this point, he'd fear the worst…and he wasn't talking death. They were in trouble. Without any air support, there was no way they could hold off the following assault. They may have made whatever advantage they had run off with that errant shot in driving off the espers. Who knew if they would come back to help them?

The layout of the street had changed somewhat. Some of the officers had come back, although more of them stayed away. Those that were left were mostly taking position again behind barricades, this time hiding themselves from view as well. A few were not, however. They were moving as far back through the city as possible, making people leave. There was nowhere else to go except Fort Condor at this point, but that was better than nothing. Staying in this city was a sure way to put yourself likely to death from collateral damage. And unfortunately there would likely be a great deal very soon.

Reno and Rude were now toward the front lines, hiding behind one of the normal barricades and waiting for trouble. They had some qualms about it, but apparently here they would serve them best. As for Elena and Krystea, they were further back in the city. If the enemy had nearly gotten through that easily once, they'd likely do so again, and this time with something that might know what it was looking for. Yuffie was still there, and he still had his position in the tower. If he hadn't exhausted himself so much over the past few days, he might have been able to do some damage with his transformations. Yet that wasn't possible either…not with his stamina so drained.

The man looked to the sky and saw little relief there. The sunlight was coming through, but it was still rather weak against the black clouds that were gathering. For the moment he could only see a faint outline of objects ahead of him, but it was enough to make out the layout of the area and most of its details for the time being. Since it wasn't abating overhead, he had a feeling the worst was still yet to come. It was only a question of how long it would take before it happened.

Vincent inspected his rounds. Still twenty shots with the rifle. After that, he'd have to switch to one of his other weapons. He reached out his claw and touched one of his loosening tools nearby. He was keeping it out and next to the gun for the moment when he ran out. He had to switch the barrel off of his rifle to the Cerberus if he wanted to still have the advantage of long range and accuracy. After all, the Griffon was good for putting down suppressing fire, but other than that…

Vincent's line of thinking cut off as he looked to his tool. It was tiny enough that it could move with minimal effort…and that was exactly what it was doing. It was trembling where it lay. On seeing that, the dark man's eyes narrowed and turned back to his sight.

It was time.

Sure enough, a moment later and he was feeling the vibration. The rest of the people below were feeling it too as the ground started to quake. Vincent reached out to keep his tool from falling of the tower edge just as spent ammunition shells and other bits of debris started to tremble violently on the ground below, bobbing up and down as the quake picked up. Everyone was soon on alert again and losing what momentary calm they had managed to gain as the shaking continued to build. Other power lines and towers began to creak and groan. Some windows began to fracture as car alarms in the distance went off. Oddly stacked pieces of material or sandbags began to topple over, and the ice barrier started to crack as the rock beyond it loosened and began to topple again.

Vincent had picked a good spot beforehand, however. It shook, but it didn't collapse or threaten to bend. The quake barely made any difference to his aim as he called down on the radio below.

"…Do you read me, Reno?"

_"Yeah…but what the hell is going on? These guys have tunnel diggers or something?"_

"Probably worse. Get ready. They'll be launching the real attack soon."

Vincent cut off transmission afterward and aimed his gun back in front once again. To him, that still meant the most likely entry point, although there was no guarantee they wouldn't come from any other side. It was the land route of least resistence, at least. As the quake continued to build, he watched it for the first move. By now, people were having a hard time staying in their barricades. A few were getting up to avoid getting rained down on. And the noises of people deeper in the city screaming didn't help. The road of rubble continued to shake and loosen, and the ice kept fracturing, getting into smaller and smaller pieces, beginning to reveal the dead bodies behind them. An air of excitement and fear was coming on them all again. They were realizing the same as him that something big was coming, and had no idea what the nature of the attack would be…Yet they soon found out.

Abruptly, a thunderous crack went out through the ground. Even Vincent was thrown to the floor of his platform as the place quaked violently. The people below were thrown down as well and some of the buildings in the area dropped off stones and bits of rubble. Fractures broke out through the ground. In response, the dark man tightened his fists as he started to pick himself up. The Turks might be right. What if they were somehow digging a tunnel? They could be using land worms for all he knew… Or maybe they were just going to tear this city apart from below…

As he was still thinking this, the true reason soon presented itself to him. A cloud of dust began to rise in his vision. He looked up, and found himself staring at the front of the road, over the debris and ice that had blocked the way. As he watched, the ground beneath all of the rubble and ice fractured more and began to drop down. And though it cast up a great cloud of dirt in its wake, making it hard to see what exactly happened behind it, Vincent was nevertheless able to detect chunks of ice and bits of boulders collapsing in his view before a much larger pillar of debris rose high into the air, blotting out all else. The rest of the defenders below braced themselves and looked up to it, but none dared get any closer. It wasn't long before the cloud started to roll into Junon. And when it did, even Vincent was forced to wince and cover his mouth from the approaching dust storm. He had to remain there a moment longer as well as the rest of the defenders, as the dust blew past them and the debris settled.

Vincent held down only as long as it took for him to be able to look up and see something. As a result, he was the first to look back up from his position and gaze below. He quickly started to dust off the gun sight to his rifle, for at the moment it had become coated with a fine layer of the stuff and was quite useless. But as his hand went over it, he could see what had been done. It was rather amazing, actually.

The road had dropped downward right where the rockslide had happened, as well as where the ice was. It was rough around the edges, but still far too perfect for any natural phenomenon. It was a straight drop from beneath where the road had been impeded. As he finished cleaning, and the other defenders started to look up and out again, Vincent realized that whatever it was had quite nearly reopened the road, dropping the material on top down just to the level of the rest of the pavement. Once again, there was nothing to stop anything from coming down that road and attacking. Not even the concrete barriers remained.

Vincent's eyes narrowed as he once again aimed his rifle below, knowing that something was going to present a target again very soon. He adjusted his head into the scope, and began to scan back along the road, moving toward the bend in the corner…

But before he could get that far, he froze and zeroed in on something much closer, right on top of where the ice barrier had been. No one else would have been able to spot it, not with all of the ruin and fractures that had occurred. Vincent, however, was far keener than most normal men or even snipers. And as he looked through his sight, he managed to pick up, just faintly moving although there was no breeze, three, long, needle-like bristles sticking out of the ground and waving.

He was unfortunate enough to be one of the men in history who had encountered one of these things and come back to tell the tale. They were not pleasant.

Almost immediately, he got on the radio.

"Yuffie, do you read me?"

_"…Yeah, Vince. Looks like they got a straight shot now…"_

"Forget the road. Look down the middle of the street just where the ice terminated."

A pause.

_"…Sigh…great, one of those things…"_

"I can't hit it while it's underground."

_"Don't worry. I got it."_

Vincent looked up from his sight on hearing this and looked down to the ground, back toward where he knew Yuffie was taking cover. However, she wasn't anymore. He frowned and sighed a bit as he saw her do something rather foolish and freely walk up and out from behind her barricade. Her shuriken was in her hands, but she was practically strolling a moment later as she began to make her way for the center of the street. His red eyes nearly rolled when she got there, and then confidently began to walk forward toward the trio of spines in the ground. She stopped about twenty feet shy of them, however, and then planted her feet. Her free hand deployed two fingers, which went into her mouth. A sharp whistle pierced the air.

"Alright, you little green pest!" She called. "I can see you down there! Just come on out and let's get it on! You aren't going to stop me so easy, though! I can peg a fly from a hundred meters! You won't be able to dodge my shuriken!"

Vincent grimaced again, not liking how much she was advertising her presence. Besides, these things weren't pushovers, even for people like them. The needles stopped quivering, and seemed to become erect and direct themselves toward Yuffie. She had its attention, at least. A moment later, and he expected the ground to break as a small, almost comical, green cactus creature would come out. He only hoped that the rest of the defenders wouldn't think it was barely an enemy, and try to fight it. Yuffie would have to take it…

The dark man's train of thought was destroyed a moment later as the ground began to quake violently again. His own eyes nearly widened as he pulled back off of his sight. He looked down below with his own eyes and saw Yuffie being shaken violently. Eventually, she was knocked off of her feet and sent back on her rear end.

That was all Vincent saw of her. His attention was totally fixed on the ground afterward.

A massive area, ten feet in diameter and circular, was breaking out of the ground, with the three quills at their center. The pavement cracked and fractured again as a sound like thunder rolled over the city. As it bulged and began to lift off the ground, large chunks of it soon began to split off and fall to the sides. It continued to lift for five feet…ten…twenty…forty…eighty… As it did, great cylindrical green limbs reached out from the ground and pushed against the edges of the crater they were making to help it up. Its own green, creased body, covered with spines, lifted out most of the way before, with great agility and seemingly no effort, it leapt out easily from the rest of the ground, much like its smaller brethren would. It came down easily enough, balancing itself on its rod-like legs as easily as the smaller ones, and keeping both of them flexed and angled in their characteristic position. However, any glass that wasn't broken or still standing shattered on its landing, and the force stunned everyone, sending even Vincent down once again. Yet he sprung back up soon after and stared at the new foe they faced.

For all intensive purposes, it was a Cactuar. Small, unassuming, curious, and comical creatures of the wildest deserts of the world, they were some sort of cactus that had grown into a sentient being, if such a thing was truly possible. They always kept their limbs and legs, little more than cactus limbs, in frozen positions, at right angles from their bodies twisted in opposite ways, pausing only to switch them when moving or gesturing. They had no need for them to move. They seemed to somehow shoot across the ground making small piping noises when they needed to go from place to place. For a face, all they had were three small black holes making just the vaguest features, and looking quite emotionless. They never got bigger than a foot tall, leading most people to think they were harmless. The truth was, their cactus bodies were nearly impervious to injury, both magical and physical. That was assuming you could actually hit one. They could dodge bullets at point blank range. Worst of all, if they were extremely angry or distressed, they could point those little comical limbs at you and fire off at least a thousand of their needles like projectile weapons, imbedding themselves in your skin, eyes, ears, and anything else they could point them at. Most weaker people would die of the trauma from one dose of that attack. The needles were so fine and sharp that they could be fired through any armor.

There were only two differences between this one and a regular Cactuar. One was that it bore additional creases around the hole representing its "mouth". They seemed to form a long, comical, handlebar mustache. It made it look like some sort of elder or superior…

The other was that this thing was a hundred feet tall.

_…A Gigan-tuar._

Yuffie was stunned. She glared up at it in shock and awe as the massive green creature cast its shadow over her. The rest of the defenders were much the same, utterly stunned at this cactus colossus. Vincent might have too if his mind wasn't already overriding all awe with the frightening possibility of what would happen if a thing a thousand times the size of a normal Cactuar decided to use that same needle attack…

The green creature hopped slightly to turn itself. Cactuars have no necks, and this "Gigantuar" was no exception. He had to do so to look around the area, even if doing so caused more things to wobble or collapse in its wake. Then it turned back toward Yuffie, although it was doubtful it even noticed her. At any rate, Vincent didn't care in a moment.

With a great sound like hundreds of stalks of celery being broken…the things rigid limbs slowly began to adjust themselves to point in front of it and downward.

Vincent found himself yelling for one of the few times of his life.

_"Everyone take cover!"_

The people responded quickly, fortunately. Yuffie herself got to her feet in a scramble, turned, and ran away from it as fast as possible. The breaking sound ceased and the arms appeared to lock into a new position a second later, just before Yuffie managed to turn a corner and dive into an alleyway. As her body sailed past the brick wall…it began.

It was like watching some sort of strange torrent of rain as thousands of needles erupted from the thing's arms, like they were a sort of strange gun. A cloud of them erupted wherever they were pointed, some of them embedding in the ground or barriers and appearing to give them some sort of hair, but far more just bouncing off and scattering everywhere. It wasn't a crazy attack either. It was directed toward the ground, and slowly swept over it to the other defensive implacements that had been erected. It was targeting all of the people in hiding. Vincent wasn't sure how well it was doing. There was no armor you could wear to block that attack, true, but he didn't know if bricks or sandbags might be thick enough to stop it.

Yet as it turned…Vincent soon realized something else. It was coming toward him, and angling upward. He realized it knew he was there. And unlike the people below, he didn't have any true defense. His position was what was supposed to keep him safe, and he doubted that his rifle would stop it with just a few shots, assuming he even hit it in a vulnerable spot. Narrowing his gaze, he quickly rose to his feet and took the rifle with him. The Gigantuar continued to move to shoot at him as he gave the area a look around. Fifty foot drop to a pile of bricks being used as a protective wall below him… The previous defender for that area had already run off. It was quite a fall, and there was no guarantee it would stop it… With little other option, however, and the Gigantuar beginning to move up along the tower with its needles toward his location, he had no choice but to do it. The dark man leapt off the edge for the barrier.

The thing was smarter than he thought. He could hear the needles cutting through the air, and also heard them change pitch disproportionate to his own movement as he fell through the air. They orientated to shoot him, he realized. His back was kept to the Gigantuar and his eyes stayed shut, but other than that he could only try and tuck himself into a ball and make as small a target as possible and still be braced for the landing. A few moments of vertigo passed as he sailed downward. His mind mentally ticked off the distance of the fall…

Just before impact, however, a sharp stinging went up his back and the calf of one leg. He grit his teeth to suppress a cry of pain as he received a jolt to his legs from landing. Only then did his eyes open. When they did, they saw needles flying all around him, shooting over and to his sides. He didn't bother to see if he was behind the barrier, however. Instead, he quickly pushed himself backward, using his injured legs and back, until he felt his back slam against rough brick. Only then did he realize he was behind it. After that, he did turn and look around a bit. From his position, he had a barrier against the Gigantuar after all, it seemed. The needles were fine and could pierce armor with openings in it easily enough, but even they weren't doing so good against rock. That didn't stop the monster from peppering the area, however. In addition to seeing a shower of the material around him, Vincent also noticed looser needles slowly raining down on him, ones that had struck the brick and bounced into the air.

He turned away from this and reached behind himself. He soon found just how accurate the Gigantuar had been. He had at least ten long needles in his back alone. As he began to rip those out, one after the other, his head looked up past the deluge of needles and down the rest of the street. The other barricades were already coated with them, and the green monster showed no sign of letting up. The defenders were staying down behind their barriers, not risking getting up to shoot anything. As Vincent finished ripping out the last of the needles from his back and moved onto his calf, he noted that the monster was still firing. He didn't know these things could keep it up for this long… At any rate, he had his rifle. The moment it let up, he had to try and turn and hit it in a vulnerable spot…

Yet his attention was soon diverted yet again. The ground once again began to quake, but it wasn't the Gigantuar. The dark man suppressed rolling his eyes. What now?

He soon got an answer to that question. Just ahead of him, on the ground in the middle of the street, well inside the barrier and past where the Gigantuar had surfaced, the ground fractured and crumbled. Moments later, as if there was a sinkhole underneath it, another ten foot diameter area suddenly collapsed into the ground. For a moment, Vincent thought that another one of those giant green monsters was coming out, and he prepared himself to fire instead at the newly made hole and whatever was going to come out of it next.

As it turned out, he was right about it being a giant green monster…but that was all.

An odd green hand, almost like a mitten rather than digited appendage, reached out and grasped the side of the hole. Inside that appendage, it was somehow holding onto a very large, very sharp mythril knife. Another green hand came out a moment later, this time putting out a very old, bronze oil lantern. It only did so in order to push itself up and out of the hole. After that, it quickly grabbed on as the rest of its fat body, cloaked in a large, dusty robe, was yanked over the edge.

Vincent forgot to fire as he struggled to surpress a rare wave of fear from sinking into him.

There was a race of green "mole lizard people" living in the deep places of the world. Like the Cactuars, few had ever seen them and lived to tell about it. They called them the Tonberries. They looked innocent enough, dressed in simple robes and having smooth, green, expressionless faces (not showing any mouth or teeth or anything else), and just having two large yellow eyes that shone in the darkness to enable them to see. They had large feet that they could barely waddle forward in, and split tails that were obviously for balance and not offense. They held small lanterns to light their way as well as large, sharp knives. Aside from how out of place those knives looked, the creatures seemed all together harmless.

That would change if you ever ran into one. The things, innocent as they looked, hated all upper world life and were quite sadistic when it came to killing them. Their bodies were surrounded by over a foot of skin, enabling them to take countless wounds before even feeling any pain. And the creatures themselves had some sort of innate ability to slow down reality near them. Hence, even though they could barely walk, it was nearly impossible to outrun them. Their yellow eyes could see all the vital spots on their victims, somehow looking beyond the flesh and into the vital organs, and they delivered fatal stabs with their knives when they grew close enough. That in itself took time. Barely able to move and seeming to dawdle and dodder, they only very slowly closed in on their victims even when they had them. No one could tell if it was because the creatures really were absent minded and foolish…or if they were merely drawing out the murder of their prey.

Even people like Cloud Strife would run on seeing a normal one of these creatures, but the one that came out, much like the Cactuar, was gigantic, a good ten feet tall. Other than that, all it had was an odd, roughly molded, gold crown on its head. It was almost a joke… What was it supposed to be? A Tonberry King?

The dark man began to feel they were severely over their heads. These two alone could kill everyone in the city. However, standing around wasn't going to help much. Gritting his teeth, he wheeled his rifle over to "his highness" and unloaded. His shots weren't errant. They went for the only vulnerable spot on the monster, the eyes. For all the good it did, however, he might have tried shooting it in the tail. The thing didn't even react in pain or show any damage as the shots hit it. They left black streaks on its eyes and face, but other than that did nothing. Well…almost nothing. The green creature now turned its full attention to Vincent. As the needle storm from its large friend finally cut off, it began to waddle toward him…

Vincent finished unloading his clip and quickly reloaded. He had more than enough bullets for this, but he realized he could empty every bullet he had into that thing and it would still keep coming. It didn't matter how slow it came toward him. Now that it had him, it wouldn't let him run. And it could afford to take its time walking to him to kill him. He had escaped the Gigantuar only to be the first victim of this monster…

Vincent reloaded, and took aim at it again. If he had to die here, he'd go down shooting this thing. His head went into the sight and once again targeted the eyes, and he started to squeeze the trigger…

However, he froze when a fire red blur suddenly shot by the crosshairs in his vision, interrupting his shot. He quickly pulled the Hydra away and saw what had happened. Before long, everyone else was as well, risking looking over their needle-coated barricades to gape at the return of one of their unexpected allies…

The fire beast was back, and it had lunged at the Tonberry King from overhead, tackling it with all his power. Despite the size of the green monster and the power it held, the fire beast managed to yank it off of its oversized feet and take it to the ground, smashing his own smaller, yet muscular, body into it as much as it could to do as much damage as possible. Its hands were glowing with fire, and the cloak of the green monster smoldered on touching it. Other than that, the tackle seemed rather painful in and of itself.

Yet Vincent soon saw the thing wasn't hurt. It had barely landed with the fire esper on top of it, before one arm reached up and shot out with surprising speed and force, attempting to drive the blade deep into fire monster's chest. Its opponent wasn't that slow either, however, and it was staying alert for this. Immediately, it leapt off of the Tonberry King, kicking off of its chest and sailing back a short distance to get clear of the monster. The blade struck only air. Once the fire one was up, and while the Tonberry King was still down, it quickly reached down and seized up pieces of concrete from the broken road. It charged these with flame, seeming to turn them into magma, and then flung them at the monster. Both connected and ignited in almost blinding balls of fire, but for all the heat and force they generated, the Tonberry King calmly stood up through the onslaught, as if it wasn't even happening. Soon it was up, and moved toward the fire beast again with speed surprising for a Tonberry. Before long, the fire monster had to leap again, this time sailing over the monster's head, and landing behind it to avoid a slash aimed for his neck. Yet even after that happened, the Tonberry King turned and began to pursue him. Even his waddle was practically a run as he went after the fire beast. It picked up more pieces of concrete and charged them, but they didn't even slow it down as it ran past its crater and continued to chase…

Vincent let out an exhale. That one was occupied, at least, thanks to the fire beast. Apparently, they were still going to be on their side after all. Yet they still had that other thing to deal with… He turned around to try his luck on the Gigantuar again…but even while he was doing so he heard a sound of rapid cutting through the air. His heart nearly froze as he realized it was firing again, and he feared that the back of his head was exposed and to it. Though it might have been futile, he quickly turned around the rest of the way to try and react before it was too late…

When he did turn, he saw that the Gigantuar was indeed firing again…but not at him. The lightning monster from before was also back. And now it was using its beak to focus a beam of electricity at it, blasting it for all it was worth. Unfortunately, Vincent knew these things were impervious to any magical attack save water. The bird wasn't even making it smoke. However, it did accomplish one thing. Apparently, the Gigantuar had been trying to fire at it, but its thunderbolt hit it with such power that the needle firing went harmlessly into the air, sending the deadly shower toward the black clouded heavens. The plant creature corrected itself soon enough and orientated back toward the lightning monster, but it did no good. It was able to fly rather quickly and go in circles around the Gigantuar. Its trail of needles was just a step behind, and it couldn't close the distance due to the hard time it was having turning around. The bird gave it another blast soon after, once again doing no damage, and continued to flee the needles. It seemed this one was incapacitated as well.

With that in mind, Vincent raised his weapon and began to unload on it. It was a totally futile gesture. His bullets barely left a noticeable mark in the succulent exterior of the monster, although at least this one leaked out, very slightly, a moist liquid that might as well have been its blood. He didn't like the fact that the monster seemed to orientate its body slightly toward him when he did that. Apparently, it knew he was shooting, and it didn't like it. After all, he was the only one actually leaving a mark…

Again, however, Vincent was interrupted. Two violent impacts struck the ground behind him, although one was much stronger than the other, sending another quaking ripple through the area. The dark man snapped around and looked back again. By now, the defenders, for what it was worth, were getting enough bravery to come out from behind their barriers and open fire, although they were only fighting the Gigantuar for now. The Tonberry King and the fire monster were going back into the main city. Unfortunately, there was no way for them to follow right now, not with the giant cactus monster blasting them with its needles. Yet when he saw the source of the impacts, Vincent soon saw they had more problems…

Two hideous minotaur creatures had emerged from the hole. Both of them had ugly, twisted faces and long, curved horns. They were also decked with armor. It was only breastpieces and hip guards, but it was of the same sort of metal and technology as Diablos' new soldiers. Although one of them was gigantic and the other was smaller than Vincent, he had a feeling both were equally deadly. That soon became apparent as both of them began to seize pieces of the road. Rather than taking loose boulders…they began to rip up ten-by-ten slabs from the ground to throw at opponents.

A loud whistle…yet one that seemed almost bestial or monstrous…redirected Vincent's attention again a moment later. This one was coming from deeper in the city. He turned his head up to risk a look, seeing as it didn't appear that the two minotaurs had seen him yet. He thought it might be some new trick the Tonberry King had pulled out. Instead, as he looked into the skyline, he saw some sort of trail of torches and flames being painted across the sky. What appeared to be, of all things, some sort of long black and orange train was riding on them. He realized that it was creating its own track as it coiled and swept over the city of Junon and its buildings, like some sort of monstrous serpent. However, it wasn't long before it arced itself toward the defenders. Once there, it drew closer for a few moments in a straight shot. Vincent's keen eyes looked…and he almost thought he could see a green light and some sort of white frame over the front… Something about the color of that light turned his stomach…

Then it swept by, banking sharply and shooting across another row of skyscrapers. It tore by them with all the speed of the fastest trains on Gaia, before it turned once again to make a U and head back for the main city of Junon. Yet as it passed by and the flaming torches hovering in the sky that formed its track faded to nothingness, Vincent saw that it hadn't left the area untouched.

Two creatures on two different buildings were there. A massive, three-headed, black dog was on one, pitching all three skulls to the sky and giving out a powerful, bone-chilling howl. Another one was topped by some sort of strange purple monstrosity, this one with some sort of long, fleshy sac of some sort draping behind it. It uncoiled its arms and unfurled a crest of some sort as it looked below. Vincent had caught a glimpse of these two before while he had tried to infiltrate DeepGround. He knew what they were…

A needle suddenly whizzed past Vincent's head, nearly slicing his cheek. On feeling this, the dark man immediately snapped out of staring and spun around again, nearly pressing himself against the bricks once more. Yet he held before he could get that far. He found himself looking back at the Gigantuar and its attacker. Somehow, the large creature was trying to fire both at it and at the defenders on the ground at the same time. Although it was chaotic and unfocused now, such as what had nearly hit Vincent, for the most part it was succeeding. A few tiny wounds were peppered in it from shotgun shells, but that was all. The defenders were taking cover again to try and not get turned into sponges.

Unfortunately, the worst news of all was beyond it.

Marching down the newly opened road in tight formation, gauntlets primed and aimed forward to wipe whatever got in their way off the face of the planet, and cloaked in gleaming black death in the form of their bulky armors, came Diablos' main army. Just as thick and tight as the zombies last night, only more disciplined and ordered now. As they approached, a squad of six Sahagin led the way, calling out orders in their harsh language and conducting some sort of drums to lead them. Overhead, beginning to fill the black skies like bats from Hell, were red gargoyles, starting to swarm like vultures over a battlefield, waiting to feast on the remnant of the losers… A few hundred of them were already visible. More were coming at a steady rate beyond them.

Vincent hesitated only momentarily before raising his weapon to keep fighting.

_Whatever you creatures are… _He thought in regard to their two allies. _I hope you have friends._

* * *

The sentry may have been brainwashed as well as "Monster-ized", but that didn't keep it from being able to react on seeing an intruder. And from its position on a building corner, it had a rather good look and shot at whoever was passing below. The creature was armed with one of the more "traditional" weapons, although it wore the black armor like all of its fellow soldiers. A heavy machine gun podium was built on the building edge. In actuality, there were about six of them in all, but security was so light at DeepGround now that only this one remained. Nevertheless, one was more than enough in most situations involving only two intruders. As soon as its red eyes locked onto the two young-looking humans running across the Train Graveyard straight for the nearest DeepGround elevator, it immediately cracked a snarl. It turned the controls, and the massive chain gun barrel of the weapon began to rotate to aim at them…

That was as far as it got before a monstrous bolt of electricity shot out from the palm of one, zinging across the air with a crack of ozone to smash into the chest of the guard. It's armor immediately went haywire as the force of the blast ripped it right out of its chair and sent it for a tumble back along the roof. When it came to a halt, it's smoldering body was out…although whether unconscious or down for something a bit stronger was ambiguous…

Azure himself could only hope it hadn't been that bad as he put his materia away. Now that there was a chance to save these people, he didn't want to kill any unless absolutely necessary. Vincent's words haunted him again as he continued to run across the ruined landscape. He wasn't slowing down anymore, but putting his full stamina into it. As a result, both he and Shelke were making rather good time through the junkyard. He had a feeling even she was pressing to keep up with him.

However, despite his obligations to his friend and brother, the thoughts of Alexander, and even Diablos' impending attack, one thing kept ringing through his mind in defiance of his ability to "compartmentalize" these things…

_He did that…to mom and dad…_

Those bloodthirsty monsters had been two of the three people in the world he considered his true parents. Despite their rough start, Azure loved Cloud and Tifa now, and respected who they were and all they had done. And even if he didn't, he knew that they were the parents of one best friend and practically surrogate parents to the other. Yet after what Diablos had done to them…

What sort of hell had they been exposed to? Being warped physically and mentally into rabid animals… For all he knew, as far as Barret was concerned, that armor might have been grafted to him, much like Shelke's armor had been. But even more disturbing than that was what he knew Siren had done to them…robbed them of any reason and turned them into savage beasts. There wasn't the slightest bit of recognition or mercy in their blood red eyes. They looked at Azure…and all they saw was food.

A frightening possibility kept running through his head. What if they remembered what happened to them when they woke up? What would they have done?

Azure tried to push that away once again as he and Shelke passed by the tower and continued their approach. By now, people had to know they were coming, but it was likely that there wasn't a single esper left in there to stand in their way. As they continued to run forward, it wasn't long before Shelke made a slight curve in the path, and began to take them toward an old store commercial building. It was mostly in ruins and the doors were blown out, but it was very inconspicuous as well. If there was some basement entrance that led into DeepGround, then it seemed a good a place as any for it. The fact that four armored guards were waiting in front of one of the doorways was also a good hint. As they started to approach, it didn't take long for them to turn their heads toward the two assailants, as well as to raise their gauntlets and deploy.

Azure was faster, and by now he was getting the hang of materia. His Contain one went up first. Two of the warriors, one on either side, were immediately half encased in ice and immobilized. As for Shelke, she continued to run forward a few more feet before launching herself forward in one of her incredible leaps, and soon almost seemed to be a cannonball fired between the remaining two. Her sudden move confused the soldiers, who turned to try and follow her with their eyes. Yet they moved too slow. Shelke rebounded off of the wall just above the entrance and launched herself back. As she did, she extended both of her limbs, holding out her pipe weapons in either fist. An instant later and both pipes went smashing into the back of either opponent's head at the same time with enough force to crack the armor. As Shelke did a nimble flip after this and landed on her feet, facing the still approaching Azure, the two collapsed unconsciously.

The young man soon made it up to Shelke, who immediately turned and led the way again.

"…It looks like you're at full power again." Azure commented.

"…No…" The young woman murmured in response, even as she kept moving. "I'm not fully charged…and yet…I didn't lose any power with that move…"

Azure turned and looked to her. Shelke didn't stare back, but went into the building and, as if having memorized the route, immediately directed her body through the bare, fire-and-rot-eaten rooms toward the back, toward what Azure could only assume was a staircase. They went through a few with Shelke still seeming preoccupied…until she finally shook her head and spoke up again. Even as she did, they came to one particular room that looked as old, broken, aged, and worn out as the rest of the building, save for a fairly new metal square of some kind on the center of the floor.

"It's not important." Shelke finally concluded. "Here. An emergency entrance for Tsviet personnel. I didn't use this before because I knew Weiss or Diablos would immediately block this area off with extra security if they knew I had defected, but now it's low priority when there's a low guard on base. Be careful. If we run into any groups now, we'll have to beat our way through them and whoever they alert."

Azure didn't answer. He merely prepared to summon the Masamune to him again and mentally hoped Denzel and Marlene were still alright.

* * *

_I hope Azure doesn't run into any trouble when he gets there and we're not there…_

Denzel thought this troubling notion as he and Marlene continued to move. His transmission to Azure had been quite a while ago at this point, and had been made when he and his friend had managed to sidestep into an empty barracks area. It was there that they got the call from Azure while they were catching their breath. Until that point, they had successfully managed to elude capture or being spotted as they tried to make their way up toward the surface. However, after Azure had roughly cut off the transmission…it wasn't long before something was firing red rockets at the door. Unfortunately, Marlene didn't know how to perform the Escape spell again, and as a result they had to improvise by going into one of the floor ventilation shafts.

That route turned out to be an ill decision. Denzel's skin was still tingling from where two Red Saucers had come out to get them. He managed to wreck them at the price of getting painfully burned and nearly shocked into numbness. He couldn't fathom how Shelke had managed to take out the two earlier so easily and go on without healing herself. He had to use his potions on his own body in order to be able to keep going, and he was still sore. At any rate, the duct was large enough for him and Marlene to move through hunched over, and so it wasn't long after the enemy broke the door down that they chased after them. Denzel had to engage in an impromptu escape via cutting through the floor of the duct and dropping into another maintenance interior. After that, and leading them through the dark for a while, they were able to lose them. Yet they hardly felt safe now, and continued to move. Only at this point they had lost their way again, and Denzel had a hard time getting it back after their elusion…

Since then their movement had been greatly reduced. They had some surprise before, but now, despite the guard being vastly lowered, they were all on alert and moving through the main corridors quickly. The two were less concerned with moving up now and more concerned with going where there was less activity. They spent very little time in the main corridors. Most of the time was finding other little escapes like in the elevator and ducts and laying low for a while until it was safe to move. But when they did move, they wound up going up whenever they could, but basing the decision on whether or not anyone was blocking their way.

As a result, despite Denzel's intentions, he and Marlene found themselves going steadily _down._ They didn't want to, but they couldn't hide in any one place for too long. They had to keep on the move, and the only way that showed a decrease in personnel was moving downward. They were able to spend progressively more and more time in corridors as a result, yet always a bloc of guards would keep them from going all the way, and they would be thwarted from above and would have to go lower. As a result, they continued their descent…

Denzel didn't like how the area changed. The flaming torches seemed darker, and appeared to slowly shift in color with each descending floor from red to purple. The walls seemed rougher and made of darker stone, and a cold, dank feeling pervaded them as they moved. The air first began to turn moist as they made their way down, but as they went further it started to grow dry, almost parching despite the lack of light or heat.

This latest corridor was the worst. Despite the fact that they were on the run, Denzel and Marlene were only going through it slowly. Their eyes frequently glanced up to the sides and around. It wasn't just the quality of air. It was the noise…or lack thereof. Machinery had been humming through most of the facility, but here even the flickering torches seemed softer and their footsteps silent. When they did happen to hear something…it was some gruesome shuffling noise down a side corridor, or an inhuman cry of some sort. Some of the side hallways had dark, misshapen figures cloaked over moving down them. Others had a horrible stench that made the eyes water and the brain ache just to get a whiff. It wasn't just the wrongness of the place. It was as if some sort of evil was actually on the air…

Denzel turned and looked to Marlene as they kept going. She looked back, but that was all they did. Neither of them wanted to risk saying anything here. They half felt that in the silence their voices would ring out like gongs. But they did show their mutual unease. They wanted to get out of there. The young man soon looked away and kept his eye out for anything new, like signs of a stairwell or elevator or something. It wasn't easy with how the place had been altered, but despite how slow they were moving they didn't want to stop to look around more carefully.

There was some good news. This corridor was clear. As they kept going, they eventually stopped hearing anything else. And they spotted no more figures either, whether they be soldiers or otherwise. It seemed to get quieter yet, and the air continued to feel musty and tomblike…but they saw no more. This low, they appeared to almost be within the clear.

The young man himself thought about that as he continued. Maybe this was where the espers all holed up, on the lowest level. It was the most protected, right?

At any rate, an indentation in the wall ahead soon caught his eye as well as Marlene's. He recognized it as the right size for a stairwell. Moments later, and they were coming to a halt in front of the door. Despite the rocky exterior, the door itself was still pretty much a metal slab with a handle. Marlene was on the left, the same side as the door was, and so she reached out and grabbed the lever. A moment later she yanked it open. Inside was the same rough looking stone and torches, but also a set of crooked stairs going upward.

Marlene turned to Denzel. For the first time since they reached this floor, one of them made a sound. Marlene made her mouth move in large movements and spoke in a soft whisper, but even then it seemed to stick out further than just between the two of them.

"Here. Let's get off this level."

"…Wait."

Marlene had begun to turn back to the door, but now stopped and turned to Denzel instead. The young man himself had only been interested in the stairwell for a moment. Now he looked further on down the hall. It seemed to terminate after not too much longer, before rounding a corner. His eyes narrowed at it.

"…Do you feel that?" He whispered.

Marlene looked confused. "Feel what?"

"I can feel a breeze coming from over there…"

Marlene hesitated and looked the way Denzel was looking. She paused for a few seconds to see if she could indeed feel anything. However, even if she couldn't, Denzel knew it was there. He could feel just the faintest bit of wind coming around that corner. He could smell it…something fresher and less stagnant than what was in there.

"Yeah, I do." Marlene finally admitted.

In response, Denzel began to walk in that direction.

"Wait! Where are you going?" The young woman immediately called out to stop him.

Denzel turned back for a moment. "I want to check it out. You can wait here."

The girl frowned and shook her head as she stepped out next to him. "No way. I'm not getting separated from you in this place."

The boy paused, but then gave a nod and turned back ahead. Soon, the two were making their way forward down the hall once again. Before what was just a sensation now began to become confirmed as they drew closer to the source. They even began to hear a slight sound of wind blowing as they neared. Denzel continued to look around for signs of anyone watching them or potentially stopping them, but there were no more turns or side passages down the other hallways. The only other turn seemed to be the one at the end. Denzel cast one last look behind him as they got to the corner, making sure no one was sneaking up on them. Seeing that the way was clear behind as well as ahead, he turned back, and the two rounded the corner and halted.

They received quite a surprise. Denzel himself was expecting, at best, some sort of open train tunnel or shaft that they might have been able to hike along to get out of DeepGround. Technically, he did see that…but there was also much more. As they turned the corner, they found that the hallway abruptly terminated into a giant cavernous opening in the rock. However, it had no path down or away from it, leaving it more as some sort of viewing station rather than any easily accessible change into a new zone. And what it revealed was what truly caught their eye…

It was some sort of vast underground cavern. It had to stretch up high enough to be a small building on its own. The air in here was even darker and staler than in the previous chamber. It made you feel clammy and sick just to breathe it in. Below them, stretching away from the upturned edge of their opening, were a series of old, rusted, and mostly broken train tracks. The ruins of several engines and cars were broken around them. The tracks led out in either direction through large black tunnels, indicating a railway had to have been here at one point but was now well out of service. Filling most of the cavern, and their vision, was beyond them…

A huge black pyramid of some sort. There were emblems, statues, and obolisks around it, each one decorated with horrible black demons and frightening and obscene images. The place was decorated with torches, but all were made of some unnatural dim purple flame. Enough of them were there to get a good view of the place, but that was about it. The pyramid itself rested on a small pedestal of sorts that took the form of steps going up to it from all sides in a square base, but the main entrance itself was some gaping arch with statues of bat creatures looking down along the pathway inside, mouths open wide with teeth showing as they spread their wings, almost as if they wanted to devour whoever entered. Milling below it were dozens of black cloaked figures, all of them twisted…all of them worshiping…

It was unsettling to say the least. Aside from its physical nature, it felt as if they had stumbled into some subterranean hellish world where creatures that had never seen the light of day paid homage to some sort of evil. The chants that some of them made were in such horrible languages that it made the two youths shudder in fear. They weren't Cetra, but they could feel the darkness pouring out from that temple. Whatever it was, it was clear without any further explanation that this was something Diablos prized highly, if for no other reason than the evil that seemed to ooze and drip from it.

"What is that thing?" Marlene spoke aloud a moment later. Fortunately for both of them, this large area seemed to pick up a lot of echoes, and their own voices were swallowed into it before they could travel to anyone else.

"I don't think DeepGround built it, whatever it is." Denzel answered. "Looks like something Diablos put up."

"But what for?" Marlene asked. "I thought he wanted everyone who was a Cetra and to make monsters. What does he need this thing for?"

Denzel paused a bit longer, looking it over. He wiped some sweat from his brow as he stared at the dark flames and felt the sickening sensation inside him. Eventually, he turned to Marlene again.

"…I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

The young woman turned to him in shock. "What?"

"There's not too many guards here now." Denzel answered. "Just these guys, and I think I can get by them."

"Denzel! That's crazy!" Marlene protested. "We're trying to sneak out of here, not let everyone who's left know where we are!"

The boy remained steadfast, however.

"This thing can't have been built by DeepGround, Marlene. Diablos had to have put it there. He's got to be using it for some reason. And if it's helping him in any way to attack Junon or anywhere else, I've got to try and put a stop to it now. It's taken us hours to get this deep with the monsters that are still here. I may never get another chance to stop what's going on if I get out of here now. I've got to try."

Marlene frowned in response to this, and let out a groan that was definitely in response to Denzel's stubbornness. He had heard it before. But she didn't speak against him. She had to know he was right. At the very least, Denzel knew he had to look at it and see what Diablos was up to with it. It might have been something the espers had overlooked that was important.

The girl at last crossed her arms uncomfortably and looked down.

"…I guess I'm going with you then."

Denzel showed some surprise at that response. Immediately, he shook his head. "No. Don't come with me. You can probably get out following the train tracks. It's too dangerous."

"That's not stopping you." Marlene flatly answered, looking back up to Denzel and shifting her arms to her hips next.

"I can fight better. I know how to use a sword."

"Forget it." Marlene responded. "I saved you once already today. I'm going with you in case you get in trouble again. You're not talking me out of it."

Denzel bit down and paused. He wondered if this was how dad and mom used to be. He already didn't like having Marlene here in this place. But she was right…of the two of them, the one who had done any saving of the other so far was Marlene. And besides…he didn't want to do this alone. Not here against something this big and dark… If nothing else, he realized he had someone to protect and to keep going for if things went bad.

The young man frowned, but gave a nod at last. "Alright then. Let's get down to the tracks first."

_To be continued..._


	29. Monument to Death

Junon was officially a war zone.

Officers, and now some civilians (out of bravery or, more likely, panic), fired whatever weapons they could at the monsters assaulting the city. Six of them attempted to stave off the charges of the three-headed beast in one corner, only to get broken by him as he charged a moment later. Another ten took cover behind barriers as the purple one generated cyclones to tear apart their barricades. The remaining lines broke up front as the incoming army entered and immediately split up, razing every building and structure in their path. It was only because they were attempting to level everything that they were moving so slowly. The thunder bird screeched as twelve needles hit it, but somehow it stayed aloft and continued to futily blast the Gigantuar with lightning. The Tonberry King gave the fire monster a body slam into a car, yet the beast, although slowing, forced himself back to his feet to tackle the green creature again. At least three blocks were filling with people stricken by some illness generated by the train circling the sky, all of its residents collapsing and beginning to emit bloody vomit. Vincent and Yuffie were struggling to keep the two minotaurs occupied as they threw huge chunks of buildings and roadway at them, and were being forced back by the constant assault. Ice walls continued to materialize out of nowhere periodically (likely courtesy of the ice monster) to save a few people in the path of weaponry or fire blasts, but the volume was overwhelming.

Reno took this all in as gravel and burnt roadway flew up in the air, forcing him to close his eyes as he dove behind a ruined dumpster. Elena gave a similar shriek as she did the same next to him. Yet despite all of this, the two continued to work in concert with their respective RPGs. They had brought these weapons along but had kept them hidden until the opportune moment…and, to Reno, now definitely qualified. Even as he grit his teeth to weather the latest blast, he shook out debris from the top of the nozzle as he loaded an explosive round into the head.

Elena had already managed it, and turned to him. "How did we get dragged into this, again?"

"It's not so bad!" Reno shouted back to her over the din. "Not as painful as fights one and four with Cloud's boys… Not as loud as the invasion of the Northern Continent… Not as stressful as the fight with Aleron… Definitely not as fun as those Sephiroth larvae in Midgar…"

Reno was cut off as a needle pierced straight through the dumpster, shooting in between the two Turks before embedding itself in the street. Both of them froze and looked to it in surprise momentarily, before looking back to each other. Reno gave a shrug.

"I'd tie it for most potentially abruptly lethal, though."

The two paused a moment longer, but then finished loading. Once that was done, without counting, they both held for two more seconds before springing up from their hiding place, turning, and taking aim at the monstrous Cactuar. Reno and Elena were managing to hold at the front though most people were breaking at this point. The enemy army was nearly to them, and the Gigantuar still held sway over the area around it. But then again, when paid to do a job, Turks were supposed to take the most extreme risks. It took them only a moment to zero in on the Gigantuar's body and fire off their respective weapons.

Despite how awkward one might think these weapons were, in the hands of the Turks, they could be practical surgeons even on a moving platform with them. They sailed straight and true, timed perfectly to avoid the lightning bird's latest pass and head straight for the main body of the larger creature. They were also coming from appropriate alternate angles, meant so that if the beast tried to dodge one, it would only drive itself head on into the other. And from this range, there was no room to dart to either side. The mustached Cactuar did turn its body so that its two large holes for eyes did spot the two shots incoming, but at that point they were only yards away, and it was too late…

Or at least, it should have been.

Both Elena and Reno soon got a surprise as the large creature quite easily showed off that it was as agile as the smaller ones by swishing its body around in a circle at incredible speeds, easily spinning in such a way to just dodge both weapons. The rockets sailed harmlessly by before their gas fizzled out, and they collapsed to fall somewhere among the cliff rocks leading into town. Not only that, but as soon as both shots had been dodged, the Gigantuar proceeded to orientate its body fully toward the two Turks again, and shifted its arms to aim at them…

"…Sh't." Reno grumbled.

"Run!" Elena, far more to the point, cried.

Knowing now that the dumpster wasn't a good enough barrier, both Turks got up and bolted. Luckily for them, they weren't dumb enough to pick a barricade in a place where they could be cut off. There was a brick and mortar pillar of one of the buildings nearby, and they made for it. They had no time to take the rest of their rockets with them, and without them they saw no reason to bring along their launchers. They tossed those aside to make more speed as they dashed to the pillar. Unfortunately, it was only big enough for one. Reno reached it first, spun around, and placed his back against it. Without waiting for "clearance", he reached out, seized Elena, and nearly yanked her in front of him, putting his arms around her body and pulling her in close to make her less of a target. Moments later, and needles roared by either side of the column, giving the ruined, cracked streets and pavement around them an appearance like a silver grass lawn. Reno merely kept his head back and endured.

A few seconds later, and the firepower cut off as the Gigantuar resumed going after its avian foe. Reno continued to hold and keep his head back. Mentally, however, he was counting down from three seconds. And sure enough, on the third second, he began to feel fists pushing against him.

"You can let me go now!"

Grinning, Reno looked down to see Elena, quite red in the face and not liking this position, pounding on his chest as hard as she could from such short range. He released her a moment later, not necessarily out of an end of amusement but from the fact that Elena wasn't playfully hitting. She was causing him some genuine pain. At any rate, as soon as they broke off, she immediately went for her gun. Reno quickly snapped out his prod as well, but at the same time dove into his jacket for his phone and emerged with it a moment later. After hitting a speed-dial button, he quickly placed it to his head, adjusting it only for loud volume as the chaos continued to unfold.

Moments later, he got an answer.

_"Yeah?"_

"Rude, pull yourself and Krystea back. We can't hold them here." Reno immediately answered. "We aren't even slowing them down. Get yourself to the second-"

Reno was cut off again and yanked the phone away from his head to turn and shield himself. Elena did the same as a red rocket from one of the basic troops proceeded to annihilate the dumpster they had used as a shield a moment ago. Now, bits of sharp debris tore at their clothing and struck them painfully as their remaining ammunition was detonated by the heat. They were nearly blown off of their feet as a result, thrown forward by the blast. Elena was forced down to all fours. Reno staggered and winced, but managed to stay standing. His ears continued to ring as he continued into the phone.

"…Make that the third fallback point."

Slamming the phone shut and putting it away, Reno prepared for more battle.

* * *

Rex watched as his hands slowly pushed down on the ring of Adamantite and pressed it into a locking place around the cylinder of Lunarite. It clicked into place soon afterward, in the slight grooves that he had carved into it. He quickly took up another ring, and began to do the same with it. It soon locked in as well, at a slightly higher position. He went for a third, knowing now that he would repeat the process until he had connected all seven rings…

When, abruptly, he felt the power leave his limbs. It was a stunning feeling. Suddenly, his arms fell, and the partially constructed Magical Lamp was nearly dropped on the table. He almost fell completely on his face, like a puppet cut from his strings, as it was, and it was only because he snapped to quickly that he managed to keep from doing so. It took only moments to realize that Leviathan had broken his control. Puzzled, the youth looked into the air, as if Leviathan was somehow floating overhead.

"What's wrong?"

_…It has begun._

Rex blinked. "What do you mean?"

_Diablos. Perhaps he's moving faster than we thought. Maybe our actions in his base forced his hand. At any rate, he's not waiting any longer. He's attacking full force. I can sense every esper under his command has moved. He himself is fast coming. The humans and the three of us that remain will not be able to stop him or save the last Cetra from his grasp._

Rex felt a wave of fear ripple through him at that. However, his anxiety lasted only a moment. He held up the partially finished Magical Lamp. "But we have this. We can stop him, right?"

_Getting close enough to use that will mean little if the rest of his forces are not similarly dealt with. In addition, in the time it takes me to ferry you there, the battle will be over and the city where they fight will be razed to the ground. _

The youth grimaced a bit at that.

_…You know now what to do to finish it. Do so and then make for the coast as fast as you can._

Rex's eyes widened. "Wh…what?"

_I can make far greater speed when I don't have to worry about keeping a passenger alive. I'm headed for that city to aid in the battle. I'll send Carbuncle back to warp you there with the Magical Lamp. He can do so much faster than I. Hurry._

"But…but wait! Leviathan!"

There was no response, nor a sense of a presence waiting for him in his mind. Rex didn't have to keep calling out to realize what had happened. Leviathan had already left him, and here he was behind in the cave with the remaining pieces of the lamp.

The geologist frowned and groaned. He didn't want to have to do this. He kept having the feeling something would be screwed up by his actions. True enough, it seemed simple to finish now, but he still had the feeling he'd somehow botch it. Maybe he'd slip and dent something. Maybe he'd get dirt in it or something. He was nervous enough about this when Leviathan was at his side.

But then again…he had wanted to help out and be more than just a useless bystander. And the esper had believed in him being able to finish this on his own. At this point, he reasoned they all had to work together to try and stop Diablos from carrying out his plans. He could only resign himself in the end at this point. There was no one left to argue with.

Exhaling and trying to mimic the steadiness of Leviathan's own control, although his fingers and hands were quivering at this point, Rex turned back to the lamp and began to fasten the third metal circle around it.

* * *

The Griffin continued to pepper Vincent's opponent although it seemed to have no true effect. His skin was as hard as rock, it appeared. He couldn't tell if he was actually seeing tiny fragments of it erupt from bullet impacts, or if he was merely seeing his bullets turning into sparks as he moved away and kept firing. However, even if it wasn't doing any true damage, it still had its usefulness. The large minotaur was foolish and egotistical. He stood still and puffed out his chest as Vincent fired, turning his head to the sky and bellowing in laughter.

"PUNY HUMAN! YOU CAN'T HURT ME WITH YOUR PITIFUL LITTLE ROCK LAUNCHER, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU FIRE IT!"

The giant didn't realize that each time that he paused to laugh, he gave Vincent a moment to move away from him. And with his opponent's slower speed, keeping up with Vincent was a challenge already. He wasn't realizing that he was giving Vincent a greater advantage at the moment as he backed up down the narrow alley he found himself caught in…

Unfortunately, the big one wasn't alone.

A moment later, and Vincent began to hear the walls of the buildings on either side of the alley begin to groan and grumble. His red eyes flashed to the side only for a moment, to confirm what he believed was happening with his peripheral vision. Sure enough, he saw fractures appearing along the stone and mortar, rapidly chasing up the sides. Without a second's further hesitation, Vincent crouched and leapt back as fast and as hard as he could.

He barely cleared it. He was just in time to catch a smaller object fall alongside him and flash out a piece of shining metal before he got out of the path of destruction. An instant later, and the walls of either building separated from the sides of their main structures and folded down over the alley below, leaning over and collapsing on the road below. An avalanche of bricks and cement rained down on where he was a second earlier, and would have most certainly pinned, if not crushed, him if he had remained there.

Vincent was forced to break off his gunfire as he landed, and turned his head away as he kept backing up, getting away from the cloud of dust arising in the wake of the attack. The big one might have been a blockhead, but the smaller one was quite intelligent and skilled. Despite how loud and telegraphing that an attack like that should have been, he had only caught it at the last minute, and had nearly been crushed by it. What more, it was unlikely that the attack was even intended for him. It was likely to be used against the smaller monster's own opponent, but had been co-opted to hit them both at the last minute…

As if on cue, thinking of the smaller monster's opponent made Vincent conscious of the sound of dry coughing over the noise of the battle. He didn't bother turning his head to the side to realize that Yuffie was the one he had seen shoot by him. Now she was doubled over slightly with her hand to her face, hacking in the wake of the dust and smoke that had just come out. She was trying to handle the smaller minotaur, but she wasn't having much luck. Her speed should have ran rings around him, but the little one seemed to be well adjusted to his weakness in terms of lack of mobility and compensated.

At any rate, a swishing sound cut through the dust cloud before them a moment later, and the shuriken came rushing out from the gloom and back toward Yuffie. That was what she had flung a moment ago, and now she managed to look up from coughing to catch it. She quickly backed up as she kept clearing her throat, getting ready to attack once again. However, Vincent wasted less time. He paused only to empty his mostly exhausted magazine and load in a fresh one. That done, he aimed at the dust cloud quickly and opened fire once again.

Yuffie snapped over at that, wondering why he was attacking again already, but Vincent didn't explain. He continued to back up and kept firing, and soon she saw the answer. Like her own weapon, soon pieces of brick and stone began to shoot forth from the smoke. However, the pounding bullets of the Griffin ripped each one apart as it came close, many before they could even leave the slowly descending smoke, and, as a result, spreading more of the dirt and dust around to create a thicker screen. Vincent kept firing as he backed up past Yuffie's position, and began to move faster as he continued. Yuffie herself hesitated a bit longer, looking back to Vincent as he passed, and then back into the clouds, narrowing her eyes to try and see if the espers were up…

She didn't wait long. Abruptly, a massive shadow tore through the gloom as the large one charged forward, his whole body taking up most of the alley. Thrashing about his horns and roaring angrily, he charged down like an angry bull. Yuffie let out a yelp and turned to run after Vincent as he emptied the last of his bullets, then turned and did the same. Luckily for them, this particular alley was open on both ends.

Of course, that did little to alleviate their problem. Regular weapons weren't even leaving a dent in the hides of some of these creatures. Those that were hurt weren't taking too much pain. And there was so much confusion that there was no time to try to find and implement stronger weapons. The demon himself had not yet appeared. It was reasonable to assume that things wouldn't hit their worst until he got there. But they had to be down to half of their forces or less. They weren't getting any victories, even with the other two…maybe three…espers helping them out. At this point, they could use any miracles that might arrive.

_I hope I'm not buying as much time as I can for nothing…_

* * *

The city was beginning to burn. One of the humans' huge structures groaned, and then began to collapse, burying several districts of their abominable, lifeless habitat in chemical-laden dust of their own making. Their gargoyles were everywhere now, killing all stragglers or hard-to-reach human snipers. Their armies were flooding the streets. Pandemona was ripping apart a large portion of the city with his cyclones while Cerberus was burning a street with his weapons. Everywhere there were only sounds of humans dying. There was no escape from it. One at this point could only try and go where it was at a minimum. The only way to avoid it all together was to leave the town through the south entrance, but soon Sacred and Minotaur would seal that off as well. Then there would be nothing. Half of the city was a war zone. The other half was getting assorted creatures and waiting for the battle to engulf them next. What few humans hadn't turned to flee and die like ants squirming from a drowned hole were holing up in their homes or praying and being foolishly brave as they took positions in their alleys. A few survivors from the front were turning up as well, trying to take new positions there to keep fighting. But it was useless. There weren't enough weapons with sufficient power to stop them all. Diablos himself had yet to appear with his coven, and he had yet to implement his most destructive force of all.

That meant, if she was to act, the time was now.

It hadn't been hard to stay in the shadows. Although she lacked the ability to shapeshift, her voice was enough to make all who heard it think she was nothing more than the fairest maiden in the world, enough for all of them to give their lives to make sure she wasn't seen or followed. And it hadn't taken long either to isolate some of the people she was looking for. They would do nicely, based on her research…

She watched them now like mice in a maze. Here, the buildings in the city grew thick and flushed against the cliff face, which had been made erect and overlain with metal. She was on a relatively small one, only about two stories. Yet she was surrounded by much higher buildings. Few gargoyles could see them, and neither could the Doomtrain. Here, she was as secluded and safe as the quarry she had tailed.

Two of the targets Diablos had specified, those "Turks", had broken off from the main fighters. Maybe it was cowardice or some larger plan. In either case, Siren did not care. All she did care was that they were almost clear of the current zone of battle when a pack of guard hounds had run into them. Both had broken off in opposite directions. The bald one with dark lenses ran one way, and the fair-haired one ran the other. Strange…but the second reminded her of one of the other Cetra… Could it have been…?

At any rate, Siren, though possessing some sensory ability, was unable to keep tabs on her in the midst of the rest of these maggots. There were too many other energy signatures. She only managed to keep tabs on the bald one, but it was no matter. Half of the guard hounds went after him, and he defeated them all with just his fists. Most impressive for a monkey. However, it had taken some time and distance, and before he had been able to he had gotten far separated from his comrade. Now, he was wandering this dark portion of the city, secluded from anyone who might help him…be they on the side of the humans or the espers.

She watched him now as a spider watches a fly drift into her web. Gazing down from the top of the building and eyeing him with a cruel, twisted smile. Her violet eyes flashed as she gazed at him, thinking up numerous chants that would perfectly entice him. She was casual, and reclined her mostly naked body as her feathery hair slowly swished in the air silently. She saw him. He ran around a corner, and then pitched and began to run toward the junction in front of her. He kept his fists out and breathed heavy, but he had his mind on combat still, and he no doubt intended to continue to fight once he got to where he was going.

However, at this point, Siren realized now was as good a time as any to act. Silently, her legs uncrossed and her hair folded back as she began to tuck her legs under to rise up.

She was surprised at the result. Despite how silent she thought she was, the man immediately froze in his tracks. Amazing. The human actually picked up on her? At any rate, she didn't stop. She got her legs underneath her and began to rise next, coming to her full height. The man stayed immobile, looking ahead, but no doubt realizing she was there now. He wouldn't have double checked if he was uncertain. No…he was trying to plan his next move.

Finally, he made one. In a flash, his gloved hand raised and went into his suitcoat…

Siren started her latest song with a laugh, mocking the action. Her first lyrics scolded him in her native language. Even so, before the spell fully took hold over him, he had manage to pull out the weapon…some sort of explosive device. What more, he had managed to set it, for as she asserted her command over him, he deactivated it again. Quite impressive indeed. He'd make a nice pawn. But that could wait a moment… As she continued to lay out her basic trance, letting him know who was the fairest in the world and his absolute master, she slowly stepped over to the edge and then leapt off. Her feathery hair spread out and caught the air, letting her fall to the ground gently. She landed without a noise right next to him, and he immediately turned to obediently face her.

Once that was done, she drew herself to full height. She looked through his dark lenses with her own purple eyes, smiling cruelly the whole time, and finally sang to him the crucial question…the answer to everything.

Who is the final Cetra?

He resisted. That, obviously, was very secret information. But that only made Siren grin wider as she made her tone more seductive and deep. She enjoyed breaking them. It stimulated her when they offered resistance. It took forever to break three of them earlier completely, but Diablos' alteration of their bodies to give them more primitive minds helped immensely. Here, she had no such luxury. Instead, she stretched out her fair, taloned hand and gently ran it along his cheek and over his head and chin, leaning in close and singing more slowly and personally. Then, the question came again.

Who is the final Cetra?

He resisted a bit longer, but then it came.

"…Krystea Anne Valentine."

Siren nearly broke off her chant. She couldn't believe it. Her memory recalled the priority targets, and she realized that was one of the Turks. In fact…she was almost positive that it was the one who had split off from this man. Fate is ironic. If she had only focused on her, she would have her already. Then her job would have been that much simpler. At any rate, that mattered little. All that did matter now was that she knew who Diablos needed…that she alone possessed that knowledge…

…And that she would make sure that he would never get it.

Where?

"She's meeting me at a rendezvous point less than a quarter mile from here. The pier landing for Dock 34."

Perfect. He knew where to go. His dark lenses hid the effects of her spell from the world. And this man was a trained killer as well as a friend. It was almost too good to be true. Everything was falling in place for her. A new song began to rise in her throat. One far more passionate and strong. One full of lust and hate. One that would tell him to go there…wait for Krystea to come to him…wait for her to be in front of him…then to deliver a single, powerful blow to the proper vulnerable spot…

"Actually…that will be all, Siren."

The violet in Siren's eyes vanished as her pupils shrank, her corneas almost turning her eyes white. Terror unlike any she had ever experienced rippled through her body. Yet there was no time for fear. No time to cringe. No time to think about the consequences or consider alternatives. Instead, she quickly thought of only the strongest song she could possibly manage, one that would penetrate into the most flinty heart to find something to entice. She couldn't wait. While still bringing it to her lips, she spun around in a flash to give the demon behind her the most powerful, moving incantation she could utter…

Instead, she felt an impact against her skull, followed by blinding white smoke, thick and opaque, filling her vision. Despite that, she inhaled and got the breath to blow out her first, powerful, entrancing note. Yet as she exhaled…pain and horror alike struck her. The white mist filled her lungs and clung to it…immediately drying them out. In moments, her throat was rendered bone dry. Her numerous vocal cords were turned into pieces of dried sinew. She tried to sing, but only a raspy croak emerged. Panic filled her. Quickly, she tried to swallow…but it was no good. She had been totally dried out. She clutched at her throat and struggled to make any sound…to synthesize an enchantment. Nothing.

Siren stumbled past her motionless pawn and away from the fast-receeding white mist.

In her wake…the pale, putrid, rotten remnants of the face of a blond man emerged, with eyes like a serpent's and long teeth coming from an overly-large grin. Diablos.

"Because the spell of Silence is White Magic, not one of my many constituents ever had a firm grasp on it…but these things the humans call 'Mute Bombs'…such wonderful items…" He cooed as he walked toward her. "They still need them. After all, you must speak to use materia. That means that cutting off one's voice is still a viable market."

Siren tried to stumble back more, but Diablos was taller and strode longer and faster. He was there first. He reached her and let out a slow exhale as he came to a halt. The coldness exuding off of him froze her in her place. The darkness made her fear grow…crippling her. Her hands continued to clutch for her throat…but not for long. Diablos extended his own clawed hand, covered with wet, rotting flesh, and grabbed one. It felt colder than ice, burning to the touch, as he pulled it off from her neck and down toward her chest, placing his own taloned hand in between her large breasts before resting it there. Her yellow eyes flashed.

"Oh, Siren…" He slowly exhaled…voice full of cold dangerousness. "Did you honestly think that I would give you power over half of my army…and would trust you completely?"

Siren could only stare back in terror…before a cold stabbing pain shot into her chest. Immediately, it pierced her heart, making her rigid and filling her with dark thoughts. Rejection by mother… Pain at the hands of Magitek Researchers… All the thoughts of loneliness and agony she had ever experienced began to fill her mind and heart and be amplified a thousand-fold. Her vision began to give way as she felt herself sinking into inky blackness. Sounds became distant, and all other memories and senses dulled in the light, or rather dark, of what was happening to her. She was only able to let out a ragged breath before she looked down to her chest. Black gunk had been placed there, and was already burrowing into her. The rest of it was quickly spreading across the rest of her body, covering her with it as it had covered the human Shelke. Unable to move…barely able to breathe…she collapsed as it continued to swallow her alive.

Diablos regarded it dully, as he held up his own head and continued.

"For a few brief moments from time to time…I did actually think of making you my queen… Your potential mixed with modern day communications…you could cover this world in chaos. However…you just proved to me the reason why I was wise never to fully trust any of you. In your case, it was because you were simply too powerful. I couldn't rely on you to remain under me forever…not with that much capability…

"More importantly, however, is the one thing you all have in common. Light, dark, good, evil…it doesn't matter what you want to call yourselves. You're espers…and you meddle. That's what you've always done. The best way to get any use out of you is to use you as weapons…just like you were back in the War of the Magi. But once your time is fulfilled…it's best to simply dispose of you afterward. You always end up coming back to be a thorn in the side of all my incarnations and souls when I leave you to your own devices. Even you allowed yourself to be the pawn of humans when the time came…for the sake of ruining people like Kefka…or the Demon…"

By now, the black material had covered Siren…and was beginning to sink in and form new shapes and contours as Siren started to slow in struggling…

Diablos let out a chuckle.

"But seriously…a world ruled by espers? Please. You never ruled this world. It's been your fate to be myths and observers. But even if such a thing was possible…then it's equally ludicrous to try and establish you now. Powerful as you are, you're relics. You've been succeeded by humans in every possible way. It's like trying to create a world ruled by dinosaurs or amphibians. You're extinct…inferior. Your own rulers realized that a long time ago. What they didn't realize is that so many of you had taken up human traits of jealousy, envy, hatred, and revenge. That's what made you and the rest of my soon-to-be obsolete tools so useful. From centuries past, you refused to conform to your role of just fading into history. That's why you so easily and quickly came to my side. That's why I was able to use you all with so little effort. Anything for your narrow, dark visions of revenge… Hate, as you can see, serves as the 'rudder' of mankind. Leon learned that the hard way. Zemus taught that to Golbez and Kain Highwind just as X-Death taught that to humanity. Garland taught his pawn Kuja that lesson well when dealing with shallow people such as the Queen of Alexandria. And you, of all people, should have known it. You need only manipulate the darkness in one's heart and they will be your eternal, faithful slave."

Diablos lowered himself to his knees here as Siren's new bodysuit began to take the shape of scales and flesh, much as it had on Shelke. However, the head was completely covered now…almost hooded…save for what appeared to be black tendrils anchored around her exposed mouth. It was as if the entire suit was a restraint for everything save that now, and was designed to direct it. He leaned up to her face so that his own rotting one was near hers.

"You see…there were much better candidates in terms of power to revive. But in terms of utility…which ones could be used for, say…a week or so…and then destroyed and used to fuel my own power…the ones I chose were perfect. You were never anything more than scaffolds…pawns with which to incapacitate the enemy long enough to build my true army. I don't really need your voice anymore. My new force of soldiers has had their intelligence and temperament properly altered to conform to their new bodies. They follow only the will of the greatest of dark sorcerers. Yet as you can see…" He grinned wider here. "You have one final act of utility to give me. And I do appreciate you giving me the name of the one I sought."

His pupils narrowed as he tapped his talons against the hardening torso.

"You see, Siren…with people like you and my respective entities…it's all about dominion. Take the world for yourself. But now that I've become aware and have the hindsight of the thousands that make me up…I realize this world isn't worth keeping." His voice lowered. "I dream of a world where poison clouds blow through necropolises filled to the brim with zombies and the undead. I imagine abominations dancing around flames of magma and bathing in oceans filled with sludge and rot. I delight at the thought of rotten trees swallowing up foul, unnamed creatures while this world lurches through space as the greatest undead of all…spreading the message to the ends of the universe of the totality and inevitability of death as it consumes all life."

The tendrils finished tightening, anchoring into Siren's flesh and turning her skin pure white. It looked as if she was nothing more than an inhuman mouth now in a mess of darkness…a nightmarish and abominable sight. It seemed to emerge from the darkness of her bodysuit like a thing from another dimension. Her body went still now…as the suit fully engrained in her flesh and heart and rendered her rigid with feelings of death and coldness. Diablos smiled at this, pleased with his work, as he extended a talon and ran it along her suited cheek.

"Tell me, Siren…does it feel good to know what kind of world you and your associates have truly been working for?"

The mouth closed. A swallow went down the throat. The Mute Bomb was wearing off at this point. The suit was making sure to get rid of its effects. Furthermore, it was making very sure to let its new victim know that the slightest act against Diablos or his will would result in feeling crushing terror and misery the likes of which she had never known, amplified a hundred-fold.

Yet somehow, she did manage a faint, yet harsh sound, from her throat.

"…I'm going…to kill you."

Diablos grinned and sneered, showing his teeth.

"You fool. I've completed you. I've enabled you to fulfill the only purpose something spawned from pure evil like yourself could ever have…to bring misery and death. Your destiny is to be a creature of wickedness and hate, to eventually die, and then to feed entities like me or the Void. Out of all the creatures in this world, you, first and foremost, should have recognized me as your god. Don't you know how much you've already fed me throughout the ages through the sound of your deadly voice? How much your first death fueled me? We're closer than a king and queen, Siren…we're practically the same."

Siren's lips stiffened, but offered no other resistance.

Diablos himself was finished. He rose up from the body and stood to his full height. The bald man continued to wait for instruction. As soon as he was up, however, Siren immediately started to move as well. She rose only slightly, before arching forward. She offered some resistance at this point…but she only cried out in pain as a result before sounding like she was being choked. She gave more fight than the human, but ultimately it was impossible to resist, just as Diablos said it was. In the end, she came forward and dropped into a kneel before him. She tried to get out of it, but merely strained and struggled in place.

"Now you have one final duty to perform, Siren." Diablos announced. "I want every last man, woman, and child in this entire city to tear it to the ground finding Krystea Anne Valentine, and then to bring her to me. And if you happen to get to her first, make my job easier by telling her that she is now my slave and willing human sacrifice. But both you and everyone else will give your lives to ensure she is not hurt. I need her alive to join the rest of her kin and gain power over this entire world. Now go."

Siren continued to stiffly resist, but in the end she barely even paused as her body rose from the ground and turned. Without another word of refusal, she began to rise into the air in levitation. The suit was enhancing those powers, after all. Once she had gotten to a good enough height, clearing the surrounding buildings, she turned and moved off. A moment later, and Diablos cracked a new smile as he heard her begin to sing once again. The bald man heard it as well, and immediately turned to do as commanded. Diablos himself watched for a moment in satisfaction, before turning away.

Time to deliver the final blow.

* * *

_Am I asleep? Why?_

There was no answer to that question. No one offered one, of course, and there was none within either for Cloud Strife to look to. As far as his memory went, it was nothing. A large black block, as if something had literally gone into his mind and cut out the past few days. The only thing he could clearly remember vividly was seeing Aerith getting swallowed alive on the television. After that, the memories were less intense… As he concentrated, he slowly began to remember that he had gone home…was making a plan to get revenge… After that, it was too distant. It was a few days ago at this point, after all. Yet soon after that point, he only knew a black block. It lasted a few days, but it was nothingness. Black paint had been spread over his memories, blocking them out all together. Now, he only remembered this. Had he been knocked out? Had someone jumped him?

His blue eyes cracked and looked out. He wasn't in pain or that dizzy, and so he quickly recognized what was in front of him. It was rather unexpected…the Midgar Ruins. Piles of junk were everywhere, although it appeared that some of them had been wrecked or knocked over. Something was distinctly familiar about them, but he couldn't make out what initially. It was light out, but not from sunlight. Some sort of radiant white glow from behind him was bathing everything around it in radiance. And it was definitely outside. He knew that much from the wind blowing by. It felt almost like a storm…but the air seemed dry and dead, not charged at all. There was a bit of a chill on it as it came…

And when it came, Cloud realized it. His skin was uncovered. He looked down and over his body, and was surprised to see he wore nothing. The only thing he did have was some loose, smooth, white cloth stretched over his middle, concealing his private parts. It was so white and fresh looking…it was hard to believe that it could have been so clean from being around this junkyard. He himself was a bit dirty, and mottled with dried sweat from considerable exertion. He didn't feel tired now, but he had to have been straining himself for some time. He was perched on a raised portion of the ruins of the city, where some of the concrete still stood up from the rest of the former road.

It didn't take him long to see he wasn't alone. To his side, he saw two more familiar faces…Tifa and Barret. He was stunned. What were they doing there? Like him, they had only a white sheet to cover their nakedness with. Barret himself was even missing his gun-arm. Only the barest bit of modifications of where his gun or artificial hand would go was present on his stump of a right hand. Both of them were asleep…but not for much longer. Tifa was already stirring as she did in the morning when she was about to arise. Barret was beginning to grumble and swear as he also came too.

Cloud looked slightly behind them…and his suspicions were confirmed. This place was familiar. It was at the foot of the Baptismal Garden. However, things had changed. To his surprise, a radiant light was shining forth from within, filling each window and the open doorway. It was glorious and pure. It was so bright that it was casting its glow over the entire area, turning everything white and dark in its rays, and yet Cloud found he could look into it and feel only a sense of peace; no pain or desire to shrink back at all. Yet whatever it was, he realized at once that it wasn't normal. The garden never had something like that before. It seemed otherworldly…unreal… He almost wondered…had he gone into a new realm? Was this the light of Heaven in mortal form beckoning him on?

"Well, you three are waking up, it looks like. But I think you'll still have to miss the party."

Cloud's head turned to the side. It wasn't quick. Something about him didn't want to look away from the white light. Yet when he did finally manage to turn, he found a strange sight meeting him. Perched on the ground just a few feet away was some sort of fluffy, green, cat/rabbit creature with long ears and a red ruby resting on its forehead above two black button eyes. It looked comical or cartoonish, almost…and Cloud stared at it in puzzlement. Had this thing spoken to him?

Apparently it had, for the black eyes seemed to crease a second later.

"Let me guess…you've never seen an esper before either."

Cloud was a man rarely surprised, but even he nearly leaned back. He saw no mouth move, but the sound had undeniably come from the green creature. "What the…? You can talk? What are you?"

The creature seemed to sigh at that, rolling his eyes. "I told you once already…I'm an esper. You humans never do listen…"

The man could only blink in confusion in response. "Esper…? Like Ragnar's always going on about? Like what he found up north? You're not…" Memories were beginning to flood back into Cloud's mind, but they were distant and fragmented, as if he hadn't thought of them in a while. It made him confused. "What…what's going on? How are you talking? Why are we here? Why are we _nude?_ Where's Ragnar?"

In response, the green esper put a teddy-bear-like paw to its forehead, seeming to roll its button eyes.

"Ugh…you guys are so far behind at this point I'd spend all day explaining…" He grumbled. "Even summing up will be a problem. Bottom line is, there's a battle going on for the future of the Planet right now." He snorted and shrugged. "What else is new, right? Big bad guy tearing up one of your cities. Lots of minions. Bottom line is, you guys need to stay put right here. There isn't much you can do right now, especially unarmed and without any clothes. And don't head back to Edge, either. Not yet. Town is going to be a mess for quite a while yet. Hopefully there's no lasting damage."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Cloud answered. "What's happening? Who are you anyway?"

"Sorry, no time for any more explanations." The creature answered. "Lord Leviathan already contacted me with an important errand. I'll have to explain everything else later. Just stay put and try not to do what you humans always do and let your curiosity lead you into trouble. Either everything will be fine or we all die. So why worry? Later."

Everything the creature said was either confusing or distressing, and so Cloud was far from done talking to him. But it appeared he wouldn't get another chance. Almost immediately after saying that last word, a ring of light formed around the small green creature. Seconds later, rays of energy appeared to come up from the ground within that ring and shoot by him. As they tore past, the creature twisted and stretched out, conforming to each ray of energy. It seemed to meld into them and be carried by them, shooting out of reality and into the light as it ascended into the heavens. Yet the light itself vanished just as quickly as it came too, and as a result the creature soon disappeared as well. The ring faded as soon as the light was gone, and Cloud soon found himself staring at nothing.

"Wait!" He tried to yell, defiantly holding out a hand to the now empty space in the air, as if the creature was still lingering there. However, he touched nothing. It was already gone. He was left only with the light and the weird air in front of the Baptismal Garden. Cloud grit his teeth in frustration and let his hand fall.

"Damnit! What the hell is going on?"

"…I was just about to ask the same thing."

Cloud turned his head in response to the sound of the familiar voice. He saw Tifa now fully awake and looking rather stupefied as she lay on the ground, pressing the white sheet around her nakedness and looking about in confusion. She seemed to be more embarrassed at the fact that she was exposed around two males than Cloud was about his own lack of clothing, but she too was utterly dumbfounded at where she found herself.

However, that was little compared to the irritation of the man next to her.

"Son of a… Where the hell are my clothes and what the hell happened to Marlene?"

* * *

The girl felt like asking the question: "Alright Denzel, now what?" However, she held her tongue. Now wasn't a time to be scolding anyone, not where they were.

It had taken some work and maneuvering, especially to do so without being seen, but the two had managed to make it off the window and down the raised area of the open tunnel toward the middle. Luckily, there was lots of rock refuse, tool remnants, and even old train parts there to act as cover. It was just a matter of finding which was the closest that offered the most cover, and make their way down and toward that bizarre pyramid. The strange "monks" or "priests" of that area soon helped them out in the regard of giving forth an unworldly chant. It was in a horrible language spoke in horrible voices, and it nearly made both young people cringe. However, it also provided cover for their own noise as they made their way down. What more, the strange temple appeared to be giving off some sort of hum of its own, creating more noise pollution to mark their descent. The purple lights tended to mask their color presence as well, enabling them to move without sticking out, even in this area. As a result, the first part of the journey wasn't that hard.

But now, they had reached a trouble spot. They had managed to make it to the nearest train car to the temple itself and ducked inside an open door. From within, they were able to watch from outside the long-broken windows while remaining concealed in shadows. But they were still, unfortunately, about 100 yards from the opening into the pyramid. In between them were no less than twenty followers if they went in a straight line. None of them looked terribly strong or powerful, but there were too many of them for just those two to fight off. Plus, for half of the distance they would be in the open, able to be seen coming from a long way away. Then there was the fact that they were still known. After hiding in this spot for a few minutes, they began to see patrols of monster guards coming by, perhaps just guarding the area…perhaps looking for them. They weren't constantly out, but they did complicate things.

And so, the two teens sat in the darkness, continuing to feeling the horrible sensations coming from the pyramid, and yet still trying to figure out how to get any closer. Marlene had long since given up, and just looked at it casually now and frequently to Denzel. However, he was still focused, staring at that pyramid as if it would project the answer of how to get to it at any second.

As time ticked by, Marlene finally did turn to Denzel again and whispered a question.

"Any ideas?"

"Just one…" Denzel answered. "I can see they have chains supporting a large slab in front of the temple. It must be like a door or something. If we cut the chains going in, we could lock them out."

Marlene frowned. "And seal ourselves in. I don't see any other openings, Denzel. We'd be trapped. Besides, that doesn't get us around them."

"Well, there's no way we can break through them…so we'll have to distract them somehow." Denzel answered. He turned to her. "Are you sure you can't use any spells?"

Marlene sighed. "I already told you. I only do them randomly."

Denzel sighed and looked around a bit more. His eyes eventually focused out the back window and behind them slightly. "Then that's the only thing I can think of." He remarked.

Marlene looked where he was, and saw what had caught his attention. One of the train cars was hunched over at a sharp angle behind them, looking on the brink of falling over, toward the side of the temple. The ground of it was rather flat, but there was a slope toward the temple side that might serve as something for gravity to work against if it moved that way.

"I'm going to try and flip that train car." Denzel explained.

The girl looked incredulous. "Huh?"

"It's about to fall already." Denzel responded. "If I can get it to topple, it will roll toward the temple. It'll be big and loud, and it might distract them enough to break up. Once that happens, you can run in."

"But what about you?"

"I can spring out from behind and run in while they're looking at the car." Denzel answered.

"That's nuts!"

Denzel looked to her with a frown. "You got any better ideas?"

"No, but at least my one idea isn't stupid!" Marlene shot back, nearly raising her voice. "You'll never be able to flip something that big! Even if you do, it might not roll! Even if it rolls, what if they only turn around? They might not move anywhere! And then we have to split up and I have to leave you behind?"

The boy simply sighed and drew up his weapon. He began to move to the door. "So we have to take some risks. What else is new?"

Marlene shot out and tried to grab him. "Wait!"

However, Denzel seemed to expect this. Moving a bit faster, he quickly twisted down and out of her grip and rushed to the doorway. Marlene got up to try and go after him, but by that point he was already passing through the door. Wincing, she quickly leaned back before the noise or activity could alert anyone. As for Denzel, he quickly turned to the side and pressed himself against the side of the train car, vanishing from view. Marlene was left fuming, but unable to do anything else. Forgetting about the strange pyramid, she instead focused outside and watched to see where Denzel would turn up. She paused only to look behind her again and make sure none of those monster monks were watching.

What followed was about half a minute of their grim chanting. Now alone, it was unsettling Marlene more than ever. Even being in this dark space was now nerve wracking. She didn't feel safe here. It felt more like she was already at their mercy, sitting in their domain…darkness. Like something would spring out of the shadows at her at any moment. Needless to say, it was a relief for her when she did finally catch Denzel again, emerging into the view of one of the windows. He was pressed low to the ground, almost sprawled out on it, and making his way slowly between track lanes for the other train car. He didn't seem to be mindful of anything else. Marlene bit her lip on seeing him, and turned her head back to the monks. None of them turned to look. They were too preoccupied with their own chanting. With that in mind, she turned and kept watching him.

It seemed to take an eternity for Denzel to crawl over to the other car. Marlene kept imagining the tone of their infernal chant changing, as if to signal that one of them had spotted the boy. However, no one ceased or turned to look at him. He was free until he reached the safety of the other car. It was open, much as Marlene's was, but Denzel didn't hide inside. Instead, as soon as he had fallen behind the shadow of the old vehicle, he rose to his full height and stood behind it. Once there, he looked it over a moment, apparently deciding how to best approach this new problem.

Eventually, he leaned forward and began to push against the side. As Marlene expected…nothing. He locked in his feet and grunted, but it was to little avail. Next he turned his body around and tried to put his back against it and push. Other than starting to grind his feet into the gravel, he had no success. It only made sense to Marlene. After all, that thing was too heavy to get pushed off just be Denzel's little force. Even when Denzel attempted to draw his own sword and use it as a pry bar, it did no good. She frowned and nearly called out to him to give it up and come back. Instead, she tried to motion as best as she could through the windows, which couldn't have been much considering how dark it was inside. This wasn't going to work, and she expected him to give up soon…

So she was a bit surprised when he did nothing of the sort, and instead took up his sword again, walked around the edge, and then vanished into the open side.

Again, Marlene had to struggle not to yell, "What are you doing?" At any rate, he had disappeared, and Marlene was left watching and waiting to see what would happen next. She couldn't see that well into the other car in the darkness. She made out a shape moving around, but that was all. After a few moments, it seemed to be at the highest tier in the car, and then began to move around some more. A bit to her confusion, it appeared to go back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. She frowned again, wondering what he was doing in there…

But not long after, she began to see what. To her surprise, the train car was quivering. It was slight at first, but it soon began to pick up momentum. And as it continued to grow, Marlene realized it wasn't a quiver…it was a rocking motion. To her surprise, the car was beginning to rock to the left and right slightly. Only then did she realize what was going on, and it shocked her. Denzel was running from one side to the other, making the car wobble. However, he was still in it. If it started to roll over when he was still trying to move it…

This had gone on long enough. Marlene didn't care for how long it would take, she wanted to get out of this car, run over to the other vehicle, and stop him before he either killed himself or caused so much noise from this that it alerted the monks. She was focused on him at the moment, but she didn't fully realize that Denzel was causing a lot of squeaking and grinding from his movements. In fact, the rear cloaked monsters were pausing in their chanting as it went on, and turned to look behind them.

But before they could do anything or Marlene could try anything else…Denzel's movements crossed a threshold. The car's rock toward its leaning side went too far. The vehicle stiffened, groaned, and whined sharply and loudly enough to break off the chanting all together, causing everyone to turn and look to it. Then…it slowly started to tip forward. It picked up speed quickly as gravity took over, and within a few moments it was falling to the side. It landed…and, just as Denzel had hoped, it continued to go, and toppled into a roll. Marlene shrieked aloud at the sight, knowing what was happening inside…but her voice vanished as the sound of the rolling car replaced it. The vehicle came off of its spot and was soon rolling down, toward the front of the temple.

Not knowing how bad it would get and panicking, the monster monks immediately broke and scattered. Shrieks of alarm went out as they announced that a potential attack had occurred. The ones who were in danger of actually being hit spread in either direction, clearing out from the front of the temple and thinning its number considerably. Marlene continued to wince and fear as she saw it roll again and again, fearing that Denzel was being battered into unconsciousness or worse. And yet, in spite of all that, she remembered what he had said…what this was intended for. She turned and looked, and saw that the priests and monks had thinned out so much that there were no more than five in between her and the entrance to the bleak pyramid now. And all of them were focused on the train car. Stupid and reckless as this was…she realized Denzel's diversion would be for nothing if she didn't move. She balled her hands into fists and hesitated a second longer.

_Denzel…if you get out of this alive, I'm going to kill you…_

The girl then took off through the door, snapped around the side, and bolted for the front of the pyramid as fast as she could.

It was almost too late. The train car was nearly to the front, and all of the followers had already parted that were going to do so. It was falling into an indentation in front of the temple. It toppled a bit longer until it got in, but once it tried to keep rolling afterward, the uphill slope on the other side kept it from doing so. It turned up to it, but quickly lost momentum and came to a stop. After doing so, it groaned and creaked and rolled back the way it had come, where it turned to its side and came to a stop. Even after doing so, however, the followers continued to be scattered. Some were rushing over to where it came from, looking for signs of attackers. Others were scattered everywhere, still surprised by the sudden attack. Yet what this all meant for Marlene is that she had a free opening for the first twenty yards of that run as she barreled straight for the temple.

However, as she neared about 75 yards from the front, others began to notice her. They didn't react in any other way except orientating their bodies toward her position and hissing. Marlene paled, but continued to run. Her fists tightened further. She had no other protection at the moment, without her gun. She had trained a bit in hand-to-hand with Tifa, but she wasn't nearly as good as her yet. Now was hardly a time to be worrying about it though. She continued to barrel straight for the entrance as the nearest cloaked figure stepped in front of her. To her unease, she saw tentacles rising from the arm folds in its cloak, and saw as its hood rose that it had long, sharp teeth. Yet she swallowed back her fear. She let her anxiety push her power instead, and kept barreling full speed. She used that speed as momentum when she yanked back a fist and hooked it forward as she ran by.

The hit was true as its smashed into its jaw, having enough force to snap its head to the side. Apparently, these ones weren't built to stand up to punishment. Its arms went flaccid as its body went to one side, and the girl kept running forward. Unfortunately, there were no longer just three in here way. More were filling in quickly. She tore past one as it tried to grab her, and she spun away from another just ahead on her way that attempted to seize her body. But more were pressing in nearer. There were still too many close by to avoid all together… Soon she wouldn't be able to break through them…

But at that point, an ear-piercing squeal rang out. The monks in her way turned from her and focused instead toward the train. Marlene herself slowed and turned to look. She was just in time to see a bleeding cloaked figure stagger away from the entrance. Dizzy and battered looking…Denzel was rising out from the opening. He was barely keeping his footing, but his blade was stained with blood. And although he could only jog for now, he began to charge right for the entrance as well.

Seeing him as the greater threat, or maybe just stunned by his appearance, the crowd of worshippers hesitated or made for him. As a result, Marlene was able to turn forward, deck another monster in front of her, and then push forward and keep going. A few snapped back to her as she ran, but she was soon getting out of the thick of them and pushing by. A few of their slimy appendages tried to touch her, but she kept yanking and was able to free herself.

She passed into fifty yards and was nearly at the threshold of the path leading up to the temple. One of the three hissed and ran right in front of her, tentacles waving. She panicked for a moment…but then remembered her moves. Slowing down, she let him come to her. He swiped. Duck. She came back with an uppercut, powerful and knocking its jaws together. Another blow to the stomach, and he doubled over. Marlene finished by driving her fist down on the back of its head, causing it to falter and allowing her to run past.

The next one seized her with tentacles again, this time lashing around her arms hard. It brought in its snarling face to bite at her. Again, she stiffened, but at the last moment managed to bring up her knee. She didn't go for the obvious spot, not knowing if the creature had it, but instead went for what she believed was the solar plexus. Apparently, it was vulnerable, for the thing gagged and loosened its grip. It didn't release it all together, but it was enough to let her arms go to reach up and seize it by the hood. The last one was moving in at this point, and she gave it a greeting by holding on tight to her current opponent's head, swinging him around, and flinging him head first into the head of the other one. Their skulls connected with a sickening smack, and the resulting pain released her completely and made them falter. She quickly disengaged and kept running. Now, nothing stood between her and the opening.

However, Marlene only ran through the first two sets of horrible, awkward, demon beasts leering over her when she stopped and turned back. She forgot about Denzel. And when she turned around, sure enough, she found he had run into trouble. He didn't have surprise or his full wits about him. A mass of the worshippers was gathering around his body. He had managed to almost make it to the threshold of the outer court, but now he was being swarmed by them. Marlene couldn't even see him anymore. She was clear…but he'd be torn apart…

The girl hesitated. She couldn't leave him, but even if she could fight through that crowd and grab him, she doubted that she could summon another escape spell. Instead, she quickly looked for something else. It didn't take long. Her eyes looked to one of the large, monstrous statues. It had stone wings and limbs spread out wide, but the pedestal it was on was small. It seemed to be precariously balanced there…even more so than the train car. She looked back down, and saw that if it was to fall, it would knock over its partner, which would in turn land on the followers just ahead…

Immediately, Marlene broke off from the path and ran to the side. A moment later, she planted her hands on the pedestal as high as she could with sufficient force and started to push. It was unsettling just to touch the ghastly thing, but it was all she had. Pushing didn't work after a moment, and so instead she backed up and began to charge forward, jump, and kick it. It was hardly a focused move, and its wasn't something Tifa had taught her. But it did begin to make it wobble. As the followers continued to swarm Denzel, she did so again and again, gradually making it wobble more. Praying that it wouldn't wobble the opposite way, she kicked it one more time as hard as she could, trying to time it while it was leaning toward Denzel's location…

The statue tipped…and didn't wobble back. Instead, the sounds of fractures and groaning began to ring out as the statue started to topple further, the center of gravity beginning to yank it away from its moorings. It soon started to pick up speed and crack further, and, thankfully, it was falling in the right direction. As bits of rock and dust started to spit out, Marlene backed up, turned, and watched. The statue responded by spilling forward and landing on the next one, immediately making it groan and twist off of its moorings as well. Soon it fell off too, and toppled in the same direction. Only here, the only thing beneath it was the crowd of worshippers. Marlene made one final prayer, hoping Denzel wasn't in that midst, as it came crashing down. A few of them turned, but it was too late by then.

The statue landed hard, immediately fracturing itself into a hundred pieces. Black dust rose as it broke and spread itself over the area, burying a score of the worshipers in its wreckage. A few on the sides had turned and run for it, but those who had been in its path were not so lucky. Near the middle, they were likely seriously injured or dead. Only the ones on the edge were spared, merely pinned under bits of debris and rubble. All around it paused, however, and Marlene waited a moment to see what would come next.

It didn't take long. Another creature shrieked inhumanly and spun away, clutching its middle, as Denzel, still hobbling and looking rather beaten, charged out from the ground and made his way forward as fast as he could. The way was clear now, and before the worshipers could begin to follow or snap after him, he was already to the threshold and passing through it. Soon he was headed straight for Marlene as they gave chase. But for now, all Marlene really cared about was that he was free.

Denzel motioned her on, and the girl didn't stick around any longer. She turned and bolted as well, making straight for the main entrance. She could hardly believe it. It seemed as if they were being herded into the truly deadly place rather than escaping the monstrous cultists. She could hear it humming louder and feel the energy radiating from it as she drew nearer. It actually made her slow although she was in the home stretch and being pursued by much more real danger. Something nearly arrested her limbs as she kept running. However, she forced her body to keep moving. There was nowhere else at this point, after all.

She was still well ahead of the worshippers when she finally crossed the threshold. Immediately, the air seemed ten degrees cooler and stagnant. It was almost stifling to Marlene, nearly seeming to rip the air from her lungs. A strong part of her wanted to turn and get back out of there, but she stood her ground. Instead, she turned and looked back outside, motioning inward eagerly.

The enemy was hot on Denzel's heels, but thanks to the various diversions and his own moves, even his hobbling gait was enough to keep them from closing the distance. Soon he was nearing the opening. But as he got close to it, and forced himself through grit teeth to start getting into a running motion, he pulled down his sword again. As he ran by and passed one of the turning wheels holding the slab door up, he proceeded to slice through it.

Marlene's eyes widened. "Denzel, no!"

But it was too late. His sword shifted position to the other side and went out again, severing the other chain. Almost immediately, a grumble sounded as the overhead gears and pulleys that kept the slab suspended began to run out, letting the massive slab fall. Marlene had no choice but to scowl at Denzel's recklessness and duck her body inside. The slab continued to sink, picking up momentum fast, as her friend ran forward. The worshipers soon began to slow down and halt, realizing they weren't going to make it, or if they tried they'd be flattened by the falling stone.

As a result, Denzel had nothing to worry about as he charged the last few feet. Despite the falling slab, it was up high, and still coming down when he finally reached the threshold. The youth ignored his pain entirely, dashed forward a few last feet, and then leapt forward and lunged for the ground. His body connected with the black stone pavement just short, but he immediately went into a roll to clear the rest of the way as the slab finished coming.

A large thud shook the entire pyramid and echoed throughout the entire chamber as the covering landed, separating the worshippers from the two intruders, and leaving them only to fume and hiss outside their master's precious domain.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	30. Futility

Ifrit let out a roar, a mixture of anger and pain, as he was flung over the back of the Tonberry King and smashed down onto a fire hydrant. It wasn't just from the fact that the metal dug painfully into the small of his back and felt on the brink of cracking a vertebrae. It was further from the fact that doing so broke the top of it off, sending a powerful jet of cold water rushing out from the top and over his back and shoulders. He nearly gagged from the feeling, not just because the force was painful, but because it sapped at his strength. He could almost feel his muscles tightening and hardening as the heat pouring off of him was turned to steam.

He groaned and managed to roll his body off of it, sprawling out face first on the ground nearby. However, he still paused, and it wasn't just from the water that doused him and continued to fall around him. He was weakened from the battle, and he was getting weaker. His opponent had as large a threshold for pain as a regular Tonberry, and proportionally more to go with his size. Despite the fact he was throwing the most punches, the fight wasn't getting easier at all.

That was to say nothing of what else was going on. The humans were breaking and fleeing everywhere. Diablos' forces had swamped the city. Monsters and enemy espers were swarming and all of them hadn't even shown up yet. Even with Shiva sapping more of her reserves trying to help, this was too much for the three of them. And unless something happened to turn the tide soon, Ifrit had a feeling that Carbuncle and Leviathan would be helpless to stop anything either…assuming they even arrived on time.

Nevertheless, the fire esper was anything but a quitter. Gnashing his teeth, he forced his muscular arms beneath him and rapidly pushed, heaving himself up onto his feet again. His posture was uneven, and he wobbled a bit as he got up…but he soon forgot about that. His eyes widened instead as he saw the Tonberry King running to him again, knife out and preparing to slice him through the head. Again, his shape betrayed his ability to move, and he was catching him off guard. He quickly lifted off and yanked back, struggling to get away before he could slice…but his opponent was too fast…and he was too weakened…

Air went by Ifrit's face as he heard the slice. He managed to fling himself backward just as the knife came across. Yet even as he did…he felt suddenly lopsided and lighter in an uneven way. He never felt anything cut…the knife was too sharp for that…but he knew that the blade had struck something. And he soon found out what as he backed away from the Tonberry King, putting some distance between the two opponents again while the green creature paused, following its slice. A light rapping was heard as it fell to the ground between them.

One of Ifrit's long, cruel horns was cut from his head.

The fire esper looked down and saw it as soon as he gained his balance. He was something of a comical sight now. The blade had come dangerously near to cleaving more bone than just his horn. The cut was nearly above the eyebrow, leaving one overly-long, twisted maroon antler left behind. Already, he felt pressure against his neck to yank his head to one side. He balled his hands into fists but stood his ground and glared on at his fallen body part for a moment.

As he stared at the twisted dark purple object, he finally saw a change. The Tonberry King, shifting to slower speed again, stepped forward with a heavy green foot. It brought it over the top of the purple bit of material, and for a moment let it hover there.

The fiery eyes of the beast widened. A hand unclenched, nearly raising in a stopping gesture.

It was too late. The Tonberry King brought its foot down and immediately further ruined it by breaking it into three pieces. It stopped for a moment, keeping its brown clothing back so that Ifrit could see what it did. After that, it simply began to shift forward, almost seeming to mock him by taking its time as it would with a normal opponent…

Ifrit ignored the giant Tonberry at first. His eyes were locked on the remains of his horn…

"15 years…" A deep-throated growl issued. It seemed to almost be a whisper. "That's how long it took the last time it was broken… I never really forgave Kjata for that…even if he was being used by a human…"

The Tonberry King didn't care. It kept taking its time walking forward.

The fire esper began to tremble. Despite the fact that he was weak and having been doused with water…somehow his heat was coming back…and growing hotter than before. Bits of hydrant remnants around him appeared to slowly deform and melt as the water still spraying in the air turned to steam long before ever reaching his body. The light in his eyes grew in intensity, becoming burning coals within his head. The beast continued to growl as its lips curled back, revealing its fangs. Despite all the heat coming from it, drool began to issue from its mouth…making it look like a savage dog. Still, the Tonberry King didn't care. It kept coming as if nothing had changed…not realizing just how much Ifrit's fury had been ignited.

Finally, the monster's burning eyes narrowed on his green opponent.

"Alright, slimeball… You want another piece of me?" He growled like a rabid lion.

One fist abruptly raised to Ifrit's own head…and seized the base of the horn. Abruptly, the furious creature snapped down and arched into a pouncing position. Suddenly…his back erupted into fresh flame, and the fur covering it bristled as more drool, like molten lava, dripped from his jaws and began to melt into the ground.

"Let me _bring it to you!"_

Roaring in fury, Ifrit barreled straight for the Tonberry King. The green creature didn't react. After all, it was used to taking pain. That was its way. Get hit and hit, let its opponent drain itself, and then kill it slowly. And it had already taken Ifrit at his best. It knew he was weakening. It knew this move wouldn't even phase it as much as the earlier ones.

As a result…it was more than a little surprised when Ifrit snapped his other horn off of his own head, twisted it around, swung it out in an arc, and then used it as a stabbing weapon by driving it all the way around and through the Tonberry King's knife hand.

Tonberries are renown for their pain tolerance. Spells like Meteor and Ultima usually make them blink. If you can even deliver something to a Tonberry that is strong enough to knock it back, forcing it to regain its footing and dust itself off, you're likely one of the most dangerous being on Gaia.

As a result, Ifrit gained considerable notoriety that day as being able to make not just a Tonberry, but a giant Tonberry, yell in pain.

The noise it made defied description or reference, making it impossible to place or approximate. All that was clear was that it was in pain. It had never expected Ifrit to give enough force to actually stab it…to actually draw some of the creature's thick green blood only to burn it up. It couldn't even think of stabbing back, but neither could it release its knife. That was because Ifrit's horn had gone all the way through, stabbing the handle and piercing that item to its own palm. Ifrit was also one of the few who learned that day that Tonberries do, in fact, have mouths. He saw a black opening form over its face as it made that noise.

He also took great pleasure in using all of his forward momentum to swing his other fist around, blazing with intense heat, and slamming that mouth shut again with an earth-shattering blow.

The Tonberry King was free again a moment later as its body was ripped backward, yanking it off of the spike that had pierced it. Somehow, it held onto its knife…though one couldn't see how. Not only did its flat feet drag tracts in the ground as it was yanked back, its body burst into flame. Even its thick brown cloak wasn't impervious to heat of this magnitude, and soon it was bathed in it. The huge beast staggered, actually spilling back partially…actually forced to extend a hand out to stop itself from falling completely. There it held a moment…before able to push itself back to its flat feet again.

It looked forward as the flamed died around it. Pieces of its cloak were falling off now, revealing the fat, seamless body beneath. They were too resistant to burn for long. The yellow eyes opened and glared at their foe.

Ifrit was panting now. He had put more than everything he had into that last hit. He had burned part of himself out, no pun intended. His punching hand was numb and he had broken two knuckles hitting the Tonberry King. Yet still, his teeth spread into a grin as he hunched over into a ready stance, and raised his own horn again. His even and much lighter head bobbed and swayed menacingly.

"Now _I've_ got a weapon."

Even when about to lose, Tonberries feel no pain. Rather, they run out of stamina or reserves and weaken until they collapse in defeat. It's a rather peaceful time for them, even in death, and never do they give their opponent the satisfaction of seeing them in agony. But not so this time. The small yellow eyes of the Tonberry King looked to its hand…watched it bleed. If one could break their thick skin, then they bled as profusedly as any normal person. It continued to shed its green blood beneath it as it struggled to clot…a testament to what the esper had done.

If possible…the yellow orbs for eyes narrowed in rage.

Forgetting patience…the Tonberry King charged straight for Ifrit with murderous intent.

Howling in delight, mostly to stave off his pain and fear, Ifrit charged back.

* * *

_We're dead._

Krystea could come to no other conclusion as she ran through the alleys and streets. She was forced to occasionally dive for cover or hide momentarily as one of the monsters or their armies would sweep down and take off a roof or simply hurl fire and explosions below. The sky was turning blacker all the time. It was getting hard to see in the hidden places of the city, and she was stumbling and tripping over more and more. And still monsters and foes were pouring in. She had lived through the Volunteer War, and yet this seemed worse than the darkest beachhead day.

An eruption shook the ground…the result of another collision between two of the fighting espers. Even from this far, Krystea could still feel it, especially since all the fights were moving deeper into the city. It was likely the fire one fighting the giant Tonberry. At any rate, the force of the hit did shake the pavement, and the area Krystea was running through was already littered. She couldn't keep her balance. Giving a cry, she stumbled forward and tripped to the ground, barely getting her hands in front of her to keep from falling flat on her face. As soon as she landed, she sprawled and held for a moment. Another explosion went out from over her…and she felt pebbles and bits of rocks rain down on her back. Quickly, she shifted her hands behind her head to protect it, and she bore through the tremors. Not long after, however, they died down. Krystea quickly got up to her feet and kept charging down the alley.

Ahead was the exit to the alley, opening into one of the main streets. The entire city would soon be a war zone, but it was safe here for now. And so, she charged out into the open road and kept running. To her right was the ocean and the various shipyards, warehouses, and dock buildings. She was only about a block away, and so she kept running, already looking ahead to a turn in the path adjacent to one of the warehouses. That would lead straight to the rendezvous point. She was pretty sure she could make it now even with the flying espers and enemies attacking.

The question was…what then?

Krystea wished desperately at that moment she was more like her sister. After all, she was the "legendary Sorceress" and all that. She could use some magic power right about now herself. But even if she could draw on the potential, she didn't have the practice. And she had a feeling that anything "novice" wasn't going to help much in this situation in the first place…not against these monsters. That just left her gun, and frankly she didn't think she could hit these things let alone kill them. She had no idea how they were going to get out of this one…

The Turk reached the end of the street and turned right, headed for the shore. What were they going to do anyway? She hardly saw how regrouping was going to help… Maybe they wanted to run for it. It didn't seem right…but it might be the only option. They needed to get ready to mount a new defense somewhere better. But then again…where? If Junon and Edge were gone, where else could they go? Maybe Wutai, but if they went there then the rest of the world would fall before their new enemy would turn to them …

Krystea looked ahead and saw the intersection near the pier. She didn't like that it was empty. No one had arrived yet… The Turks had more lives than cats when it came to life-threatening situations, but it didn't change the fact that Krystea was worried. They were only human, after all. And she had to admit that ever since the incidents back during the Volunteer War that if someone was dragging their feet in their group, it was usually her. Seeing herself being the only one there was not comforting.

The woman soon ran to the intersection and stopped. She supposed she should probably take cover. Even if the main battle wasn't here, the air around Junon was filling with those gargoyle creatures, and she was sure at least one of them would spot her if given enough time. But she used the moment to orientate her head out to the north side of the city. Black towers of smoke were rising in no less than six places now, and the sounds of battle were continuing. Weapons were still being fired, but there were fewer sounds from them all the time. Instead, the sounds of whatever bizarre attacks were being waged were the dominate noises. And they were getting louder. The nearest zone of combat seemed to be only about three blocks away. Reno was right to defer them to this spot. Any closer, and they'd already be overrun.

Once she took in the grim situation of the battle, Krystea's eyes lowered and she began to look around again. What to do now? Should she stay out in the open? Probably not. She was supposed to be lying low, after all. But she was a bit afraid that if she wasn't visible, the others might pass when they came, or think she had already been grabbed…

That was about as far as her chain of thought got.

Krystea's eyes looked down to the road in front of her…and she saw that she was no longer alone. However, it wasn't Turks, soldiers, or even monsters coming. It was regular civilians. They were exiting the buildings around the pier and going into the street. However, these buildings were mostly boathouses and places for cargo. They weren't places that people would live in or hide normally…especially the amount that was now coming out of them. First there were ten…then twenty…then thirty. Furthermore, they didn't seem to be panicked either. Rather, they were calmly turning in Krystea's direction and beginning to walk toward her. Some of them were holding hand weapons. A few were holding guns. However, there were children and teens mixed in with them…people who didn't look like they were trying to make a stand against the enemy…people who just looked like civilians. That was…save for one thing…a thing Krystea spotted with her keen vision even from a distance.

Red eyes.

The woman would have paled if she wasn't a Turk. She realized it was them…the same brainwashed people that the Diablos figure had tried to get earlier from Junon. What more…somehow…they knew she was coming. And they were waiting for her. Now they were emerging to spring on their victim…and they stood between her and the rest of the Turks back in the city.

Krystea's hand tightened on her weapon…but she knew that even if she used the power of her gun to rip through multiple civilians (something she wasn't too keen on…death had grown progressively more unsettling after meeting Aerith to this very day), she would barely have enough to take them all out. So instead, she opted for a better course of action. She turned to run farther away…

…And immediately stopped. Thirty more were already emerging behind her and coming forward.

The Turk's eyes widened. She looked to the road she had come down. Sure enough, there were dozens there too. They were already in the street. They must have come out as soon as she arrived. There were over a hundred now, closing in on her from all three sides. They were already passing the only alley branches that she could have run to, but even if they hadn't…Krystea realized there were likely more in those directions. For a moment, she looked about her to all sides. She was in the worst possible situation you could be in when fighting large numbers of enemies…surrounded. The only place left was in the middle of the intersection. Instead of a road, there was one final large boathouse between her and the ocean. She immediately ran over to this. As she arrived, she twisted around and backed up against it, keeping herself guarded from behind. There were a set of two huge double doors in front of it, and Krystea placed herself against these, leaving one last out. After that, she raised her hand cannon of a weapon and aimed around her body.

Not dissuaded, the enemy kept coming. They were beginning to reach the intersection now, and quickly fanned out to form a circle of bodies. Their red eyes were all locked on her with a near-ravenous look. It wasn't pretty. This made her more afraid than the zombies last night. Those ones were just animate corpses. These were people turned into savages. And none of them were afraid of her weapon. That only left one thing. She either could turn and bust through the doors, or try and rip her way through a weak part of the line and go for it. Both options had the unfortunate aspect of potentially hidden dangers that would foil any plan of escape…whether inside the building behind her or in whatever alley she chose to run through. The only real escape that awaited behind her was the ocean, and she didn't really see how taking a plunge in the pollution would save her. In the end, she decided to shoot. Letting out a nervous exhale, she raised her weapon to the thinnest point of the line and began to squeeze the trigger…

A sound of splintering wood erupted directly behind her head, nearly deafening her. Yet she had no time to react to it or even to wince in pain. An iron fist seized out, put its fingers in her hair, and then yanked back with incredible force, smashing the back of her head into what wood was left after the eruption behind her. The blow was hard, fierce, and quick. Before she could even realize what happened, she was smashed into it. Her senses melted into black as pain radiated through her skull. The fist released as soon as it smashed her, and so the woman was left to cry out and stagger forward. Her feet wobbled and the world swirled and darkened around her. However…she didn't pass out and her senses started to return quickly. Dizzy and off balance as she was, she managed to turn around and look behind her, weakly raising her weapon again, as she looked to see what had struck.

She saw the wooden double doors of the warehouse, complete with a hole where she had been struck through not long ago. Now, she watched as some powerful impact force kicked them open. She managed to come to enough at that point to aim her weapon at whoever would appear next…and a moment later someone did.

Rude, face more stoic and grim than ever before, came out with his hands balled into fists.

Krystea's eyes widened. He was only a matter of feet in front of her and well in range of attack. Her gun was aimed at him and ready to end his life. However…she couldn't think of any of that. She was frozen in surprise, and she hesitated as she saw her fellow Turk come out with a look that seemed ready for blood.

That was exactly what his master had hoped for. As a result of this, she was still frozen when he came forward and struck out with the heels of both palms, proceeding to smack Krystea's wrist and hand and knock her powerful gun right out of it. Only then did Krystea snap partially to…but before she could think of doing anything else a gloved hand came forward and smashed her in the skull. The blow was high on purpose…meant to knock her center of gravity back. Giving out a slight "ugh", the force not only jarred her brain into senselessness, but the power knocked her off her feet and down flat on her back. She was sprawled out on the ground a moment later.

Rude's hitting power was nothing to be scoffed at. Even when the blackness began to fade back, Krystea was dizzy and unable to focus. She moaned and attempted to move…but everything seemed sluggish and slow after being struck. She did manage to arch her head up and get her hands underneath her, but she couldn't even be certain of what was happening around her. She was having to force her body to move to get it to do anything.

At any rate, it didn't matter after that. Abruptly, she felt an arm, like a bar of iron, wrap around her neck. Instantly, she was yanked up and to her feet as it tightened. Her eyes widened again, and she raised up her arms to seize the limb and try to pull it off. It was useless. She was already weaker than Rude under normal conditions and now he felt stronger. It tightened into a headlock as his other palm went down and planted itself on the back of her head. After that, they both tightened and held her. Krystea, however, turned a bit white as she felt her body put into this position. She had enough training to know how to get out of headlocks like the one Rude was putting her into from behind. That's why Rude was doing something he had never done to her before…putting his body in a position to snap her neck if she tried anything. After that, he turned as rigid as steel, unable to be moved any more than any other type of restraint. Krystea was left hanging there, her feet staggered and sprawled beneath her and her arms around his neck. She didn't struggle. She knew it was useless. She couldn't overcome his strength, and she couldn't use a move without him retorting with a fatality…

The woman took the moment instead to look around her. On the ground a good ten feet away was her weapon. Right next to it were a group of brainwashed civilians. They were forming a tight circle now. However, none of them were drawing their weapons or moving to use them. It was getting darker out…and so Krystea could see little of their faces other than their red eyes. They were all like monsters now, but none of them moved to kill her. Of course they didn't. They wanted her alive…

Krystea looked around a bit, seeing the hopelessness of it. She was trapped. The only way out was in front of her. The storage area did indeed appear to be empty. The doors were both open, and Krystea could see that it was vacant. The ocean, with just the faintest bit of true daylight poking over the horizon, was far ahead. But she could never get to it…not around Rude. Her eyes caught something at the top of her peripheral vision as she stared that way. She looked up as much as she could in response…and went rigid again.

Standing on the roof over the storage area…perhaps having been there the whole time…was some sort of monster. She couldn't make out much. It seemed to be feminine, but dressed in some sort of black, sleek clothing like snake's scales. She was completely enveloped in it…save for her pale white face and her twisted, abnormally colored lips. The uniform enchored itself around this portion like tendrils or roots, seeming to be cling around her open mouth. But it was exposed none the less…and aimed right at her along with its head. The way its clothing was constructed, it was almost as if she was nothing more than a mouth.

Krystea knew what it had to be.

_The brainwashing one…_

The Turk stiffened and nearly struggled in Rude's grasp despite herself. She knew what would happen now. She would sing…and she would fall under its spell along with the others. Then she'd march off to whatever fate they had planned for it. She realized it had to have enslaved Rude and the rest of these people after the fight began. It made her furious. She wanted to attack it…blast it…do something to it while she still could. That was all impossible. Instead, she began to raise her hands up higher, releasing the limb and moving to place them over her ears instead.

In response, Rude tightened his arm and began to push…showing he'd kill her if she tried that. However, Krystea didn't stop. So be it. She'd rather die than live to be the slave of this monster. If it was the only thing left she could do, then she would. As her hands began to cover her ears, however, she realized already it wouldn't be enough. Not from this close. She'd still hear it. The more she'd try to block it out mentally, the more she'd subconsciously listen to confirm she couldn't hear it…

The mouth opened. Three haunting notes slowly came out… The first one immediately attracted her…struck her like some sort of rich perfume that overwhelmed her senses and thoughts… The second one enticed her…began to undo any thoughts of resistance or struggling. By the third one…her vision was beginning to dim…her hands were starting to fall…

The fourth note never came.

Instead, Krystea's heard a whipping sound followed by a sharp gag, and it was so hoarse and sharp that she immediately snapped out of her daze and was awake again. She blinked and looked up, and was surprised yet again.

A scaled serpent tail, one gleaming with beautiful aquamarine colors even in the barely existent light, had snapped out and seized the woman by the neck, and had immediately tightened. Her deadly weapon was cut off, and she was rendered helpless. Somewhere beneath that hood, the eyes of the figure widened. Her arms went up and grabbed the tail, much in a parody of Krystea's own movements, but were powerless to remove it. She could do little other than just gag and stare for a moment…before, like the crack of a whip, she was yanked off of her perch, over the top of the roof, and behind it. Krystea was just able to see her through the open warehouse as her body was reeled by the tail into the bay itself, immediately ripped underwater. She vanished into it almost like a diver rather than a flailing victim.

Her servants continued to stand at the ready behind her. Krystea waited and looked around at them, but none of them did anything different. As the ripples in the bay died down, they continued to stand at the ready, awaiting further instruction. Rude continued to stay erect and tall, still holding his prisoner. As a result, Krystea could do little other than remain where she was.

The woman's hand slowly went down, and she went somewhat loose in Rude's grasp. Her eyes turned to the ocean and continued to watch and wait.

* * *

Lord Bahamut may have been unmatched in terms of power throughout the world and off of it…but within the ocean, only Great Leviathan stood as the true uncontested champion.

Surrounded by water, which only continued to fuel his incredible strength (filthy and polluted as it was), Leviathan had little trouble gaining complete control over Siren. Down here, he didn't even have to guard himself. Her vocal cords were useless underwater, and so he immediately released her once he had drug her to a depth of about three hundred feet. It was only for a moment, but she struggled to escape even then. She had no chance. On land, Leviathan could practically make himself infinitely long and large. But under the ocean, that power was tripled. It took only moments to extend his body and then tighten around Siren, wrapping her from neck to toe in two layers of coils. Reinforcing each other like that, he was soon able to hold her completely rigid.

Once holding her secure, the great sea serpent was free to turn his pointed head around and aim it right in her face. It didn't take long for him to visually confirm what he had sensed above water. And in truth…it unsettled him. There was a second, malevolent presence literally enveloping her. The only explanation he could come to was that it was similar to the suit that Quetzacoatl had explained. Such a craft he had never encountered before, not in all the generations of "evil" clothing he had witnessed. This was something else. It was alive…like some sort of external parasite. Even now, within his grasp, he could feel the evil in it…could feel its own oily scales struggling to loosen enough to escape. He hated to even have to hold the thing.

At any rate, Siren was beaten. All he needed do now was tighten and Siren would be destroyed forever. Leviathan hated even considering the idea of killing another esper, especially now when there were so few of them. Yet what choice did he have? Siren had gone to cause endless acts of mischief and chaos throughout her centuries of life. In this world, she was even more deadly. Had he arrived a few moments later, her actions might have doomed the world to Diablos' reign. No…there was only one thing to be done now. Grim and unfortunate as it was…

_…Help me…please… Augh!_

However, Leviathan paused when the mental message hit his brain. He went ahead and left the guard down. Siren's power was in her voice. Her psychic abilities were far weaker. What truly made him pause was the nature of the message. He had dealt with Siren in the past. And now…he had never heard her sound so desperate. Siren was not the person to ask for help from anyone…let alone beg for it. Yet her voice seemed so shaken and weak that it was hardly possible to conclude that it was coming from her. Something was forcing her into dire straits.

And Leviathan soon found out why. He could feel her body suddenly grow ice cold…a horrible sensation even for one like him. He could feel the vile material struggling in his coils. He looked, and saw, despite the fact that she'd drown, the figure in his grasp open her mouth and scream in agony. He saw the tendrils around her mouth seem to burrow themselves into her skin…torturing her… There was no question that it was what cut her off.

Seeing all of this…Leviathan's eyes readily narrowed. It didn't take long to make a decision. Siren or no, whatever enveloped her was evil. Based on how she sounded, what he could sense radiating from her…she hadn't donned this of her own free will. Diablos had placed it on her. Perhaps he had "leashed" her as well… At any rate, it had to be destroyed even more so than her.

In moments, Leviathan extended his coils again, this time entirely enveloping Siren's body within them. After that, he immediately focused to extend them out…covering his body with thousands upon thousands of tiny blades. Although Leviathan had never seen a chainsaw before…what he did next was analogous. Moving at an incredibly speed…whipping the water around Siren into a vicious blazing torrent, Leviathan spun his coils around her with inconceivable force. As he did, with perfect care, his blade-like scales sliced into the suit. All over her body, in a hundred places at once, his coils became like a little sanding belt that immediately began to file the suit off of her body. It was precise work and hard. Not only did the suit struggle to regenerate, it went closer and closer into her skin, crushing into it from all sides, trying to make it so that he would have to flail the skin off her body to succeed. However, his vortex also brought in water, and swirled it around with the same vicious force over the suit. The power battered it, keeping it from being able to regenerate, and then increased speed and pressure to actually start tearing away at it as well.

Whatever it was, it didn't have infinite sustenance. Soon it started to weaken. After cutting it a bit more, it gave up all together. Its grip loosened. Larger pieces of it started to fall off. Leviathan shredded these into dust as well, and kept going. He continued to do so again and again until he had managed to strip the suit completely from Siren's body and tore it to bits. Only then, when he sensed its evil presence vanish completely, did he cease and immediately tighten his coils around her body as they had been before.

Siren's long wing-like hair was out again now, and her pale face exposed. She looked drained and weak from the encounter, and sat limply within Leviathan's grasp. Her eyes were shut and her head bowed. As a result…the serpent found himself unable to simply crush her. Defeating a helpless opponent wasn't in his nature, not even with someone like Siren. Besides…the fact that she had been restrained like that… It might have meant that there was more to this picture than her simply serving Diablos. He knew it wouldn't take long to kill her anyway. Under this water, she'd eventually run out of oxygen and die. For now, however, he glared at her silently for a moment. He scanned her mind, and found out that she was still conscious and aware. He was forced to stay quiet for a bit longer, trying to think of where to go from here. However, in the end, he spoke. He didn't need mental control. Under the water, his voice rang as clear as anyone else's on air.

"…Diablos grew displeased with you, I suppose."

Here, the eyes of Siren cracked. Her violet glare looked up, as she turned her head up to him. Looking into her gaze, Leviathan realized how weakened she was. She seemed frail and unsteady…as if something mortal and more frightening than she had ever experienced had been torturing her. Even her mental voice was weak.

_Diablos…hates me…along with all espers…even the ones who pledged allegiance to him…_

The master of the seas raised a brow at this.

"What do you mean?"

_He tricked us…all of us…even those who did his dirty work… He just used us for our power…like all the humans did during the War of the Magi. Makes sense… He's full of the souls of those mage humans… He just kept us around while we obeyed him… Once he has that other Cetra, he'll destroy us… He won't need us anymore. He doesn't now. He has his own coven…his armies…legions of monsters…and powers over the dead on a large scale… Even now, he hasn't yet vented his full power… He only needed me…to build him his initial army… Now they all have been enchanted and transformed…covered with suits with his power in them… They all belong to him. He doesn't need my voice. He only used me…to get the Cetra…_

Leviathan narrowed his gaze at her as he took this in.

"That's fairly what I suspected. Men or demons like Diablos only truly care for their own glory, no one else's. No true villain has ever wanted to share power. Perhaps you now know what it's like to be used as a puppet beyond your control."

Siren's gaze locked on him.

_I only seduced… I never did what he did…made me feel-_

"Feel what?" Leviathan cut off. "A small measure of the misery you inflicted on others? The pain of experiencing suffering and death? Made you go against your will and be helpless to do anything about it? How many have you commanded to kill their own families while they watched helplessly? How many did you make engage in acts of animalism and barbarism while you just laughed? How many did you make your toys?"

Siren's eyes closed and she made a sneer.

_That's why the rest of you always sickened me…always trying to turn everything into a "lesson"._

"If you don't already see life that way, then you're more than immoral. You're a fool. You may hate humans, but you struck first against them long before they tormented you. You have no reason, or right, to hate them more, other than from some prideful notion of superiority. And you should know now that there will always be one greater than you. Such is the way of all things."

_Are you going to kill me or what?_ Siren answered in a somewhat bored tone.

"I don't know. 'Or what'?" Leviathan challenged in response.

Siren kept her eyes closed, but smiled a bit wider.

_Diablos doesn't want to rule over anyone. It's probably the influence of countless madmen who gave themselves to the Void inside him…but he wants everything dead. He wants to use the power of the Cetra to pervert all life… He doesn't want a Necropolis. He wants the entire world to be the living dead, including Gaia itself._

Now, Leviathan's face truly broke. His scissor jaws slackened.

Siren's eyes opened as she stared at him.

_Think he can truly do it?_

Leviathan didn't answer right away. There had been numerous humans in the past who had thought such madness in the name of their own power. But put all of their anguished souls together… He had hoped that there would be some thought or reason within him. Yet he knew such wasn't to be. He knew from experience and study…the way of evil is ultimately chaos and disorder. There is no rhyme or reason to it. In the end, it all comes back to one final thought…that all must become disorder…that all reason and reality and construction must be brought to nothing. Such is the nature of the Void…and what the demons in Hell wish…to bring an end to anything built or given structure or purpose, even if sacred and beautiful…

"…Even if he can't, I refuse to let him go any further."

Siren grinned.

_You have little choice, old man. You can't defeat him. Nothing can anymore._

Leviathan's face turned hard again.

"We shall see."

_To the tune of the deaths of countless innocents, right? All the slaves I made? Each death shall power him more. He gorges himself on it. He's killed thousands already just to satisfy his "hunger"._

Leviathan kept his stone look on her.

"…State what you're saying."

_I think you already know._

"Diablos wants the same world you want."

Siren struggled to snort under the water. _Hardly. I don't want this world to die. At the end of the day, for all my mischief and maliciousness…_ She smiled and shrugged. _What can I say? I love my mommy._

"Then you wouldn't torture the innocents living on her."

_Would you like to debate morality now, or after this is over? If you want to fight Diablos, you'll need more than just your pitiful band. If they see I've changed sides, I might be able to get more to come to you. He's brought back to life the worst of the worst of our kind. They hate even to look at Lord Leviathan, King of Espers. Me, however, they might just listen to. And it will take hours for even you to break the spells on those I cast without my help._

"You could easily do twice as bad as him through your deception and voice, and all before I could do anything about it."

_But you _can_ do something about it, Leviathan. Your will is too strong and your own power far superior to mine. I can't stand against you, and I have no intention of dying. Everything else…well, you'll just have to accept that on faith._

"…Faith in the faithless."

Siren frowned.

_Again…do you want to keep debating this now or after this is over? I'll promise you this. I _want_ Diablos for what he did to me. After that, all bets are off, but until he's destroyed he's the only one I want dead. I care about killing him a thousand times more than harming humans. If I can hurt him further by freeing them, I will._

Leviathan hesitated. He had a feeling she was playing on his emotions. She knew from the start he didn't want to truly kill her, if only for the sake of sparing another life. And she was next of kin to chaos in the way the world had become. It might be safer just to destroy her now. And yet…she did have some points. Both she and Diablos had been born from pure evil. But unlike Diablos…she had lived longer. And just as an esper born of pure goodness can slowly accumulate evil over time, there is a chance that one born from pure evil could accumulate good. She could, at least, put her desires aside for the chance to wage war on true foes. She had demonstrated that once already.

With that in mind…Leviathan, his lips turned into a frown…slowly let his coils slide off of her body.

"Your mind is an open book to me. Betray me, and I'll know it."

Siren raised her arms, and looked at her body in delight as she was freed, not only seeing it able to move again, but all of the black suit gone. She looked back up to Leviathan soon after with a grin.

_Perish the thought._

* * *

"I don't --ing believe this… I can't go 'round like this!"

"We're all dressed like this, and if you have any alternatives I'd love to hear them."

Barret could say nothing. All he could do was cross his arms and grumbled. Cloud was only somewhat happy that he couldn't. They had no phones, no gear, no clothes…not even shoes, and they were stuck right in front of the Baptismal Garden with who knew what inside. The clues the little green creature had left behind had hardly been helpful. They rose more questions than anything else. One thing was certain…they couldn't just sit around waiting, regardless of what the creature had said.

So the first order of business was to try and get clothed…

Cloud had to admit he was rather embarrassed at how they looked. Tearing a hole through the middle of the white sheets for their heads, then taking a strip off the sides to bind the rest around their waists after poking their heads through, left them wearing what looked like white sheets as sackcloth. Barret, large as he was, had the biggest problem getting it to cover him, and was constantly pulling down on the edges as if he could make them go lower. Tifa wasn't that thrilled at the fact that you could see certain portions of her chest pushing against the white sheet, due to its thinness, in places. If it wasn't for the fact that it was so dark out, she'd be even more embarrassed. Of course, due to the light pouring from the church, it hardly mattered. At any rate, they were an odd looking bunch. But Cloud hardly cared. He wanted to get out of here and do something. The creature had said to stay away from Edge, and that another major city was being struck. The nearest one Cloud could think of was Junon…

Tifa, not far away, put a hand on her hip and looked to the church. She seemed uneasy, and turned back to Cloud. "…I don't know…but something seems…wrong…about just leaving here, what with what's going on in there. I mean…what exactly _is_ going on in there? Aren't we going to…I don't know…miss something if we leave?"

The man looked back to the Baptismal Garden himself on hearing that. Tifa and Barret soon did so as well. He was forced to pause again…once more feeling those strange feelings through his body as he stared at it. He had to admit…leaving didn't seem a good idea, not even given the circumstances. It wasn't just the strange feelings he got from this light. He truly didn't know what it was. He had tried to check it out…but long before touching the doors he found himself unable to move any closer. It wasn't a force doing it…it was just that the will to move any closer and look at it left him. He found himself unable to tell his body to get any nearer. Besides…the light was so blinding from that close that he couldn't look in either. Aside from that…this whole matter was crazy. He had no idea what he was doing there in Midgar's ruins, what was inside the ruins, or what was going on anywhere else. Neither he nor anyone else really knew what to do right then and there. The one thing that was clear was that whatever was happening inside the Baptismal Garden wasn't normal, and at times like this Cloud and his friends would usually dive right in trying to find out what was going on.

The fact that he wasn't doing that by instinct left Cloud more unnerved. Being around this light in this strange situation seemed to be throwing him for a loop. His gap in memory and the strange creature that appeared made him think that reality was going mad on him. He wasn't really sure of anything right now. It was just that moving was better than staying still. _Anything_ had to be better than just sitting there.

Cloud kept staring at the light when he finally spoke again. Even now…it was pleasant to look at, and garnering so much of his attention that turning back to the unpleasant darkness around them seemed almost loathsome. "…Well, staying around here won't get anything done. Going on bare feet isn't the best way to travel…but if we can go a few blocks I think I saw a wreck of a Cromwell last time we came through here. Those are pretty tough even after all these years. Maybe we can get it to move…or at least get enough juice to get a radio working…"

Tifa herself kept staring at the light for a bit longer. Yet she was able to break away from it at last and turn to Cloud. "But…didn't you say that creature wanted us to stay here?"

Barret kept staring too, but he frowned and looked away. His living hand rubbed against the metallic stump where his artificial one had been. He let out a snort. "That's crazy soundin' as it is, Tifa…that thing talkin' to Spiky in the first place… We don't know what the hell's goin' on and we ain't gonna find out just standin' around here. And if it said somethin' about Marlene bein' in trouble, then I sure as hell ain't gonna just sit here."

Cloud turned to that as well. That part was true…a detail he almost forgot about again. The creature, esper, whatever, had mentioned that their kids were in danger. And that in itself was more than ample reason not to just wait and do nothing. Tifa seemed to realize that to, turning to Barret after he said that. A moment later, she turned back to Cloud, and her eyes lowered as she seemed to think for a moment, a frown crossing her face. Her own hands went into fists and both planted on her sides as she stood there and thought. After a bit longer, she finally exhaled and looked back up.

"…Yeah…you're right. We shouldn't just stay around. We should try and find that Cromwell you were talking about, Cloud. It's sounds like the best idea to me. It will take hours to watch to Edge on foot…and there's so much trash around here our feet are bound to get cut up if we walk too far."

The man nodded back. "Alright then. Let's…"

Cloud was cut off before he could finish. Abruptly…a clear, ringing sound suddenly peeled through the air…so loud that it drowned out everything else. It immediately caused the three to turn back to the source: the Baptismal Garden. But as they forgot about leaving and turned to see what was happening, all three of them suddenly shrank back and covered their eyes. The light from within appeared to explode with the ringing sound, instantly doubling…even tripling in intensity. Now, despite the fact that it was concealed, it leaked out of all cracks and crevices in the ruins that it nearly made the building vanish in its glory. The ringing continued to go out as this happened. It was hard to describe. The noise didn't fit any description. It was almost like an instrument…but not like any on Gaia…not now or at any time throughout history…

This time, the light was so intense that Cloud couldn't stare at it without pain. And yet, even as he squinted and put his arms in front of him…he could neither look away. There was something in the light that he wanted to keep looking at. Something was resonating inside him along with the new noise and the light. A sense of hope…expectation…something stirring inside his very soul. Although he had never experienced anything like this before, he didn't want to break it off. In spite of all his confusion…something in the light made him feel…happy…even a faint sense of joy…

All three were captivated by it even if they were filled with confusion and awe. There was something about it that transcended confusion…just as one can look up and see a great black thunderhead rolling in or observe an iridescent coral reef and, even if they are troubled or preoccupied and even if they fail to understand how it came to be, find themselves utterly enraptured by it. Such was the way now as that ringing continued to issue forth, and the light seemed to grow more and more brightly…

Cloud continued to stare as the ringing peeled out. Yet as he did, new things soon started to happen. The ground beneath him began to shudder. And it didn't start as a tremor either. It was as if something very large and massive that had been there all along was finally starting to move. Something before him was beginning to stir, and sending out such huge ripples around it that they were feeling it as if it was an earthquake. And yet he couldn't see the source. It was too bright…

Clicking sounds and grinding were heard…as if something gigantic and metal was moving. It reminded Cloud of the Proud Clod from years back…or even the biomechanical WEAPON creatures. He soon realized that it wasn't indeed something big and metallic. It had to be. He could feel the air change, as if something incredibly large was stretching itself up and over him. And yet he couldn't see it. The light was too glorious and powerful. He could only see something faintly on the edges of his vision…but he couldn't believe it. What looked like two monstrous towers were arising from the junk around them. He could hear piles of debris collapse and rain down as they moved. He heard no destruction from the Baptismal Garden…but was that possible? Wouldn't something so large destroy it completely?

He didn't know and soon didn't care. As the thing arose…the joy inside his soul increased. The sting of old wounds that never healed seemed to be loosened inside him. Feelings of release and happiness that he thought were impossible to attain from the scars of a painful life began to slowly work their way into his body. And through it all…he could _feel_ it. He didn't have any sensory capabilities like other espers, and yet he could feel the presence of what was coming out. He couldn't see it, but his eyes looked higher and higher to the heavens, knowing somehow that he was staring at it. And somehow…he knew that something alive was there and looking down at him.

Hardly knowing what he was doing…he felt himself call to it.

"…Who are you?"

If Tifa and Barret had heard, he didn't know. All he knew was…_it_ heard. And answered.

**I am the hopes and purity of millions. I am the dreams for peace and justice all harbor in their hearts. I am the light that cannot be extinguished by the greatest darkness.**

Cloud stared silently back.

**And I must go.**

A blast erupted from the whiteness. Cloud's eyes widened, and he struggled to shield himself…but it was too much. He, Tifa, and Barret were all thrown onto their backs as a terrific force erupted. It was like an airship engine had suddenly fired. They could even hear some sort of burning sound within the glory…although it was like no fire or engine they had ever heard. At any rate, the kick of the force sent them all rolling back, ripping their eyes off of the radiant image. They landed on their backs as the blast picked up intensity. Even as it did, the light appeared to shift. No longer did it radiate everywhere. Instead…it seemed to pan down and go underneath the colossus that had arisen, shining out only from below. For a brief moment, the construct was visible, but neither Cloud nor the others were able to see it after being pitched back. As for the light…it rapidly began to leave the ground, and what was above it ascended to the heavens…

Cloud rolled back as quickly as he could, which wasn't easy. Something had arrested his muscles from staring so long at the light, and he had to shake free of it in order to roll forward. But once he did manage to roll back, he looked ahead again.

The Baptismal Church was visible again. More visible now, due to the light from above shining down on it. The radiance had left it. It wasn't damaged any further, somehow. Instead, the piles of junk around it had collapsed. Yet more than that…they seemed to be missing things…as if something had taken the metal from them before knocking them over. But the source of the light was now overhead. Cloud looked up to see it.

All he managed to catch was a glimpse of several beacons of light pitching in the sky and then blasting off, almost like some sort of starship from a sci-fi novel or movie. When that happened, the huge bulk that they supported shot off through the heavens, and thundered away from the three humans to go in the direction of Junon.

Behind it, a radiant beam of light like a comet's tail was painted across the sky. The darkness and gloom that turned Midgar into night once again parted from it…and as it left it was like a giant had taken a knife and cut through the gloom of the clouds and darkness above it, leaving a large trailing break in the clouds in its wake. Sunlight streamed down like some sort of heavenly pathway cut through the sky, for all who were around for hundreds of miles to see.

* * *

Denzel did not like to be cold. He had _never_ liked it after what had happened at the New Shinra HQ Dome. Going into Azure's soul and finding all of that coldness there…cold that was generated from feelings of isolation, loneliness, and darkness. Since then, he couldn't even step out on a winter's day without remembering his time in there. He hadn't even been the prisoner, but he still hated it.

Naturally, that made his current situation bad. It was cold in the dark temple…nearly frigid. Both he and Marlene struggled not to shiver as they stood there. It wasn't like any normal cold either. It was dank and stagnant in here…stuffy. And yet the air wasn't hot at all. It had that chill on it. Now, it truly seemed as if they were sealed in a tomb. It had been frightening enough on the outside, but here there were even more high arches and shadows. Only a few of those purple torches provided any light whatsoever.

Neither of them were able to move at first. The temple wasn't that deep, and it was silent as a grave within. The danger had been safely sealed outside. And yet…in here they seemed even more in danger. They stayed near to one another and looked up and around. Despite the lack of anything living in there, looking at the shadows inside filled their minds with terrible possibilities…as if any number of nameless horrors could be hiding there. And it was so still and cold in there… It was almost as if they had been buried alive. Neither of them could speak. To break the silence in there seemed to be a suicidal act, as if it would bring some infernal force down on them. And so there they stood, staring into the dim blackness all around them.

However, Denzel forced himself to move at last. It took about two minutes…but he managed to reach down to his side and grab his flashlight. Almost having to consciously force himself to do so, he finally managed to move his thumb over the switch and turn it on.

A cone of dim light came out. It was almost not worth the trouble. The very air in this place seemed to swallow the light. Despite a new bulb and fresh batteries, it barely managed to shine. Nevertheless…the "power" of the darkness seemed to shrink. Something about bringing in a "natural" light source lessened the effect. Soon after, Marlene began to breathe hard again, as if she had been holding it the whole time. Her own light came out and switched on, enabling a bit more illumination.

Both of them stood there and shone the lights into the dim darkness for a moment more.

"…We shouldn't have come here." Marlene finally said.

Denzel didn't answer…but his thoughts were the same. He began to regret his act of bravery…

"…We should leave."

"We can't now." Denzel answered. "We have to go on."

Marlene didn't seem to like that. Neither did Denzel, frankly. This place scared him. Going deeper into it was like something swallowed alive moving down the throat into the stomach. She made no indication of moving. However, Denzel turned back to her and exhaled.

"We can't stay here."

That one phrase of logic worked like a sacred mantra, and enabled Marlene to turn and look to him. They stared for a moment as that ran through their minds. That was right. They couldn't stay there. It would accomplish nothing. Going on was frightening, but there was no choice. Even if this entryway did open, there was nothing on the other side except foes. At last, Marlene reacted. She turned forward, and ran out a free hand to Denzel's, taking it firmly. Denzel might have been surprised, and maybe a bit nervous, under normal conditions. But here, he clutched it for his own good as well. Once they were both holding, they looked forward and slowly made their bodies move.

The temple was really not large at all, but it might as well have been. Getting down that corridor took forever. There were no beasts here and not even statues of monsters. Yet each shadow seemed to be twisted into its own horror. Denzel and Marlene had to fight not to stare at them. They could almost swear they could see them grinning demonically at them in the purple light. Despite the fact that their surroundings changed, the air stayed the same as they went along. Each footstep echoed far too loudly for their comfort, and the air only seemed to grow colder as they went on. Their held hands were alright, but the ones holding the flashlights soon began to numb. Denzel almost thought his breath would start misting as they went.

The hall was mostly large arches supported by ancient columns. Neither teen was an architect, but they could see that this design was not represented in ancient world history. It was something else all together…and that made it all the more unsettling and uncomfortable. Some of the angles seemed twisted or defying physics…and the columns looked almost as if they would snap off and hit them on purpose at points. They couldn't see the ceiling even with flashlights, making it look as if there was no ceiling at all…just endless, thick blackness.

It should have taken only a few moments, but it was closer to five minutes before the two finally managed to get close enough to see a change ahead. Until now, there were regular purple torches along the pathway leading up to the exit. But up ahead, they appeared to vanish and spread their eerie light at further points. It indicated that the area up ahead was opening up. Based on the size of the place, it was likely the center. On reaching this far, the two teens came to a halt momentarily.

"…Just up there." Denzel murmured. "I think whatever he's doing is up ahead."

"I don't hear anything…" Marlene responded. "I guess we might be here alone…"

Denzel couldn't confirm or deny that. He hoped that was indeed the case, and that was the presumption they had gone on this far. After all, wouldn't something have sprung out by now if that was so? Nevertheless, both of them were still afraid of what might be just ahead. Denzel found himself letting Marlene shine her flashlight alone so that he could put a hand on his sword hilt at his side. He couldn't really handle it with just one hand, but for now it gave him a bit more comfort. And the flashlight beams weren't really anything strong enough to help anyway. She could probably handle it by herself. Once they were prepared, the two looked to each other one more time, seeming to check and see if they were willing to continue. After that, they looked back and continued.

They might have been moving even slower now, but with a clear location in mind it seemed to not take nearly as long. Nevertheless, the light was still so dim that it was impossible to make out anything until they were almost right on top of it. All they could see initially was that the chamber up ahead opened up into a much larger, polygonal room. The floor seemed to be deeper inside it, almost what amounted to an entire building level lower. As a result, it was hard to make out anything of note. What they _did_ start to make out as they neared was that the walls of the inner chamber were surrounded by the large, horrible monster figures again. This time, they seemed to be looming with their arms outstretched over the lower area, hands open and palms down over the floor below. However, Denzel didn't think they were here for just décor this time. Something was strange about the way they were positioned with their arms outstretched. They looked almost like they were radially symmetrical in the arms and finger positions…almost like they had some sort of purpose…

The two finally came to a stopping point. They halted at the top of a stone stairway, leading down into this central area. Once they were both positioned there, they looked down ahead before moving any further. It was only partially due to a desire to investigate. A lot of it was fear of even stepping into the chamber, where all of those figures would be glaring down at you with talons outstretched. At any rate, they saw this place well enough. The torches seemed to illuminate this portion of the temple better than anything else.

A multi-edged thorn obelisk was in the center of the room, aiming upward like an antenna. Surrounding it were five different objects, each one intricately fashioned with an independent design and shape. Here was something the teens recognized, although until now they had only seen them in books about ancient history. They didn't match them exactly, but there was little mistaking what they were. Four of them lay sealed and closed…but the fifth one remained open like a hungry mouth awaiting to be fed.

Sarcophagi.

* * *

Time ticked by, and still Krystea awaited in the grasp of the brainwashed crowd. It was almost enough to make her wonder what exactly were they doing. There was little doubt in her mind that yet another one of those creatures had shown up to help, and had managed to save her just in time. Now, the question was what would happen from there. All of her captors still appeared to be under control…and she had no idea when, or if, it would be broken to let her go. She also wasn't sure if Rude would still try to kill her if she tried to escape…

The sky was continuing to get darker. You'd think it was nightfall rather than dawn at this point. The fight was continuing to expand in their direction as well. It couldn't be more than a block or two away by now. She could hear yelling from both human and inhuman creatures. She had seen a few gargoyles sweep by overhead, and she knew that she had not gone unseen that time. If they reported back to Diablos at all, then he had to know she was there by now. It was just a matter of time before they came and got her. Maybe that's what would happen now…that they were just detaining her until he showed up…

Yet as Krystea thought over one fearful possibility after another…something finally changed. Another loud sound pealed out as the ocean in front of her broke. She actually let out a small exclamation of surprise as she heard it, for it was both loud and sudden. Two forms shot out from the water. One was a dark yellow color and went straight for the heavens. She couldn't make that one out. The other, however, had to be the body of her savior. It was long and thick, and poured out of the ocean in a continuous stream so that she could make out its serpentine body. The front of it lunged straight through the warehouse and right for her and Rude…

It halted ten feet from her, however, and pitched its head upward. The rest of its body came out from the sea, stretching all the way through the building from Krystea's position to the ocean. It rapidly pulled itself forth, however, and coiled and turned to compress its space. Soon, most of its long body was breaking through the walls and sides of the warehouse, making more room for it as it yanked its full size forward and toward the center of the intersection. Krystea didn't pay much attention to that portion…other than seeing how fast and powerfully its might coils thrashed about. Her attention turned upward, watching as the creature's pointed, serpent head stretched up and seemed to crack its neck. Its eyes blazed with color as whisker-like appendages alongside its head waved about. She was in awe as she felt spray and droplets come from it and rain on her, Rude, and the others, and found herself captivated as she stared at the huge beast. Not only was it large and powerful looking…but there was something majestic and regal about it as well. And now that it showed its full body, lined with those shimmering scales, it looked almost…beautiful…

But her attention on it didn't last long. The yellow form soon entered her line of vision, just behind the creature's head and to the left. It perched on the roof and squatted momentarily, giving Krystea time to fully look to it as it slowly drew itself up. It was a mostly nude body, seeming to only be covered with its own natural scales growing from what looked like otherwise human skin and flesh. Its hair flailed out like green feathered wings. As it came to its feet, it smiled and turned its neck about, casting off water itself and seeming to enjoy its own thin, voluptuous figure. It was in the shape of a human female, after all. When it turned to her and opened its eyes, stained to look as if they were made up with some sort of vivid cosmetics, they were purple and narrow, and they matched the twisted, crafty, sly smile that spread across her thin lips as she looked out. Her first gaze was immediately down to Krystea, where she kept her smile as she stared at her. She looked like a woman…but even if she wasn't clearly something more through her details she would be an unsettling and uncomfortable sight.

Krystea needed only stare at her for a moment before her gaze focused on the female's lips. When she saw them…she recognized them. The figure was different now, without the black clothing and scales…but she knew what it was. It was the same esper from before. And she looked like she was free and unrestrained now. The Turk panicked. What had she done? Had she seized control of the sea serpent? If so…now what ? But she had no time to ponder these things. Already, the esper's mouth began to open. Krystea could only wince…wait for the music to come forth again…

It did come forth a moment later…but it was something far more horrible than Krystea had imagined. Rather than a beautiful song like last time, one that, subconsciously, her brain had hoped to hear again, it was a twisted, wretched, "squawk" of a note. It was ghastly and horrible to the ears. It actually hurt the Turk to listen to it. She wasn't alone. She felt Rude's grasp loosen, and heard the rest of the mob give out an exhale of pain to hear it. They all backed up and staggered, nearly covering their own ears on hearing it. Most strangely, however…was that, somehow, it still bore some quality of the original song, despite how much they contrast in beauty and hideousness. And because of that, something in Krystea's brain shifted. Based on how akin they were to each other, her mind immediately pushed the previous song from its memory, not wanting to hear it ever again for fear it would remind it of this terrible note…

As soon as it had come, the note was gone. Krystea winced a bit more, but then looked up to the esper. She crossed her arms with a smug look and kept smiling, seeming to look like she was waiting for results from that. Krystea blinked. Was she hypnotized? She didn't feel like it. She still felt nothing but anger toward Diablos, and she definitely felt no desire to serve this esper…

Her thoughts were cut off a moment later, however, when she felt Rude's arm go flaccid and easily slide out from around her neck, freeing her.

This move surprised her, but Krystea didn't get to be a Turk via slow thinking. Immediately, she twisted her body the rest of the way, turned around on Rude, and backed up…ignoring the fact that doing so sent her closer to the giant sea serpent. For now, the people seemed the greater threat. That soon changed, however. Rude's arms slowly fell to his side, but even as they did his normally stoic face turned to confusion. She couldn't see his eyes, of course, but his head began to turn around and look at himself and his surroundings.

He wasn't alone. Sounds of objects falling soon began to ring out as the weapons fell from the hands of the surrounding mob. Krystea turned to look, and saw that the rest of the people were looking similarly confused. Their manners were no longer brutal, cold, or savage. They were all seeming to be normal civilians again. Best of all…the red in their eyes had faded. They were back to normal colors. Krystea slowly realized that the note wasn't meant as an enchantment… It broke the spell.

However, the confusion only lasted a moment. Krystea soon noticed another change. Those who still had weapons looked down at them…then, with fearful looks, threw them to the ground, didn't just let them go. The children in the group began to shrink back to their mothers. Some of the adults were grabbing the sides of their head in seeming disbelief. It was soon obvious something was wrong. Krystea's own face began to turn puzzled as she looked back to Rude. When she did…she saw him raise his own hands and look at them in disbelief, before turning his head up to her. His mouth was slackened.

"Krystea…I…" He slowly murmured.

Then, without another word, he began to back away from her…as if afraid.

The Turk truly turned puzzled at this. "Rude?"

The man didn't answer. He began to stammer as he backed off. He started to hold his hands up in a stopping gesture. "Stay…back…"

The woman quirked her brows…some of her puzzlement beginning to turn to unease. It wasn't just Rude. The other civilians were backing off…from each other as well as her. She realized this was wrong. Something wasn't right here. But before she could think of what…she heard her again.

She didn't sing this time. Rather, with a heavy voice full of malice, she heard a chuckle.

"Heh…this can be the best part. You see…I only appeal to the evil in hearts of people through their greatest desires. I don't seize control by force. I seduce in just the right ways in order to produce just the right results. Every one of them remembers not only what they did…but the wicked feelings I enraptured them with…wickedness that came from the darkness of their own souls. Such a pity… Humans tend to think of themselves as so innocent… Seeing the truth really can be…sobering."

Krystea wheeled around behind her, and found herself looking to the female one. Her look was no longer sly…now it was cruel. She continued to grin at the people shrinking back in fear of themselves, now sitting on the edge of the roof with legs calmly crossed, and enjoying every last bit of it. A light of sadism was in her eyes. Krystea saw all of this…and found herself beginning to scowl. This woman… monster, whatever…really was a bitch. She had released them only to satisfy herself with how miserable they all were. In another second, she might have yelled at her…or even gone for her gun and tried to shoot her.

Yet something unexpected cut her off.

In a powerful and commanding voice…the sea serpent _spoke._

"That's enough, Siren." It addressed, apparently not to Krystea, but to the other. At any rate, the reaction was still the same. Krystea's eyes widened and she stumbled back toward the other non-espers. She may have heard that they could talk, but that didn't make it any less surprising. What was truly enough to leave her petrified happened a moment later, however, as the esper turned its head to Krystea and stared.

"Explanations, unfortunately, will have to wait. We have precious little time. You must come with me now away from this city."

The Turk blinked in response and dumbly stared back in confusion. It took her a moment just to comprehend the fact that the esper was talking to her…before she could even puzzle over the words. "Huh? Go with you?"

"Yes. You must get away from this city, not only for the sake of its inhabitants, but for the sake of the world."

Krystea hesitated again. She stood her ground, even as the giant sea serpent became more imploring. She opened her mouth to speak further, to ask where they were going and how she would go with him…anything to stall it a bit longer. The thought of going with a one-hundred foot long, talking sea serpent wasn't very appealing to her. And this recent change was still too confusing…

A much icier voice…one with an inner aura that didn't so much as cut Krystea off as chill her to the bone to silence her…rendered her mute.

"So you managed to recruit another ally to die as senselessly as you will, old man."

Krystea wasn't alone with that. The voice wasn't even directed to the civilians, but it froze them as well. The sound was terrible. It seemed to almost dip into ones heart and drag out hidden fears. Just listening to it was enough to terrify someone. The children who were clinging to their parents did so more fiercely now, but they didn't cry. It somehow choked the strength to cry out of you. Instead, you stayed silent…trying not to elicit any further response. Krystea wanted to snap to the source…but she couldn't. Something kept her too fearful to do so. The only one who did snap was the sea serpent…and as soon as he did, if possible, he registered incredible fear and dread over his serpentine face. The other, the one called Siren, uncrossed her legs and shrank back, cowering away immediately as her malicious glee turned to dreaded fear. The civilians themselves slowly managed to look…and once they did, those that weren't petrified with fear fled. Krystea herself managed to turn and look and stood her ground afterward…but it took much of her bravery to do so.

Darkness spread over him as if he was making it…which seemed likely. He wasn't on the ground. Rather, he was on some sort of black, thorny, intricately designed circular platform. It was full of abominable images etched all over it, each one committing some horrid act sickening to look at, as well as some sort of ornamentation wrought in gold. All in all, it looked regal despite the pictures. The edges had rather large thorns curved up and in toward the center on them. In front of each thorn was perched a single black cloaked individual. Some sort of unknown runes were on their cloaks, and they were concealed up to the nose in them. After that, wide-brimmed hats, each one black, rested on top of them. Their faces were shrouded in darkness…save for their eyes. Red light shone out from each one. Whoever was beneath the black attire was brainwashed like the civilians had been. Each one had a gold staff with some sort of horrible tentacled idol perched on the head. They held them erect and glared below with their glowing red orbs. Despite that, based on how high they stood…they either had to be growth impaired or children…

They weren't the main item of concern, however. The throne in the middle, raising out of the center of the disk like an especially twisted and gnarled thorny branch, was. He was nauseating to behold. Just the trappings of skin and flesh still hung from him. Red scales, tinted black, poked out from rotten, green-colored rifts in his pale outer "costume". Half of his lips were gone, revealing a rather large set of cruel, misshapen teeth poking from one cheek. His hair seemed to be falling out…from what was still left of his scalp, that was. Long red talons grasped the edge of his chair while similar ones from his feet scratched at the ground.

It had to be him.

Krystea opened her mouth to speak the name…but she couldn't. She could feel something foul and evil radiating from him. It was so potent she couldn't even speak to it. She remained frozen in position for a few moments…until the thing on the throne looked away from the sea serpent and down to her. Its horrible yellow eyes met hers, and she was broken out of her stance if only to gasp and retreat. She yanked back and looked down from it, nearly shielding herself.

"This boring battle is finished. I've waited too long already." He announced. "Come with me. It is time for you to grant me omnipotence."

Krystea was still immobile, and she wasn't sure if she could have responded or refused it at that moment. Under his gaze…she felt small and afraid. Yet it was broken again a moment later…as aquamarine scales shot in front of her. The body of the sea serpent immediately coiled up and around, forming a barrier between Krystea and Diablos. The woman looked up in surprise at this, and turned to the creature's head. She watched as it aimed it like a cobra ready to strike, spreading out the fins alongside its skull and preparing for battle.

"As Lord of the Espers, I order you to cease and withdraw." The serpent flatly stated.

Krystea couldn't see Diablos, but with a rather bored look, he yawned before aiming his hand in front of him. Instantly, black lightning shot forth, branched out in hundreds of pathways, snaked through the air, and then struck the beast. Moments later, and Krystea shot back in shock as the monster before her roared in agony and misery, thrashing about madly in all directions. His gyrations smashed the pavement beneath him and flung about to smash into buildings or other items lining the streets. The people screamed, turned, and began to run as fast as they could. But some were still struck by debris that was knocked loose, or collapsed when hit by the thrashing coils.

Krystea watched as the black energy suddenly lashed out as it continued to fry the sea serpent, seeming to lace itself around its body in dozens of places. They wrapped around further as they did, almost appearing to grab him or seize him. Yet they continued to penetrate and fry him throughout it all. Once they were covering him in numerous positions, Diablos let out a dismissive grunt and then simply threw his hand to one side. The black lightning, continuing to stream from it, moved as well. Without the slightest effort, the sea serpent was picked up and cast off into the sky like a discarded toy. The lightning shut off soon after, but Krystea turned and watched as she saw the sea serpent get thrown high above the skyline. His body whipped and twisted in the air, but it was from force and not due to his conscious movements. Moments later, and numerous blocks away, Krystea saw him sink back to the ground once again. He vanished into the midst of another set of buildings, collapsing lifelessly into them. A large shudder rang out soon after from a beast of his size crashing…but then no more.

Stunned, the woman turned back to the monster on his throne. He was already looking at her again.

"As you can see…there is no force on Gaia that can keep you from me." He spoke. "All you'll do is make this more painful. I'd kill every other being great and small on Gaia to get to you. Since you really have no choice in the matter, it's time to go."

Fortunately for Krystea, the woman had good senses and reflexes to match them. And this monster had a hard time not telegraphing his moves when he had all of that rotten flesh dripping off of him. Hence, a moment later, when he snapped his hand up, formed a palm, and fired off what could only be described as a billiard ball sized orb of black energy, Krystea was able to snap her body to the left and dive for it. The attack just barely shot by her chest…but even without touching her she felt a sort of tightness inside her body…something cold and numbing shooting through the area near where it went by that made her feel rigid throughout. Nevertheless, her momentum was already moving, and it managed to carry her into a somersault as she landed on the ground a moment later. And despite the feelings inside her, she still managed to snatch up her intended target as she went by…her gun.

Within a moment, Krystea rolled back into a crouch again, bracing herself on one knee. Her gun went up and immediately aimed for the monster's head. However…she found herself frozen again. Her instincts told her to fire right away, but forcing herself just to look up to it made her hesitate…

Luckily, Diablos didn't seize that opportunity. He smiled instead.

"So what now?" He asked. "Are you going to shoot me? Even if I didn't already have Weiss the Immaculate as my base, or hadn't charged myself with the powers of your blood kin, I can still shrug off the firepower of even the most powerful handguns in existence. That's assuming I don't simply make a shield to dispel it. Once you have exhausted all of your bullets, you will have gained nothing but a few moments of freedom."

The woman hesitated again, but this time not out of fear. There was no wavering in Diablos' voice. She knew he was telling the truth. Besides…she had a feeling that the sea serpent was supposed to be pretty powerful, and beating him had not been something easily accomplished. So, as he had said…what now?

Krystea could only do one more thing in the end.

Immediately, she rose to her feet, keeping the aim on Diablos. He didn't react, which she considered a good sign. Once she was fully up, however, she turned her gun around and aimed it at her own head.

"You may be willing to kill every other person on Gaia…but what about me?" She asked.

The smile on Diablos faltered momentarily. Krystea could tell she had hit a nerve with this latest action. If nothing else, it was enough of a fly in the ointment to make the monster pause and rethink his next move. If what was said was true, Diablos needed her alive…or at least "half" alive. Killing her would allow someone with Cetra blood to return to the Lifestream, and his chance for power would be lost.

Unfortunately…it didn't stay gone long.

"There's a little problem with this picture of you putting a weapon to your own head." Diablos answered. "First…there's the matter of if you can do it. I don't think you're quite 'pure' enough to be altruistic enough into wanting to kill yourself rather than let me have dominion over this world. You're not your sister who loved all life. The ones you love can be counted on two hands. Second…you might go ahead and blow your own brains out. You'll make me mad, to be sure. My plan will be ruined and I doubt that the Planet will ever allow your potential to be reborn into anyone else for me to claim. But then again…" Diablos flashed a wicked grin, cracking the one side of his mouth further. "What will you be able to do if you _don't_ give me what I want? I may not be able to fulfill my dream, but that won't stop me from having dominion over all life…assuming I don't take out my rage on the people of this city. I'm already unstoppable with power beyond that of any other living thing. This world is mine. Soon your friends and the pitiful humans attempting to guard this town will all be dead. Your attempts for delays or to stop me from gaining any further power are wasted."

Krystea paused after hearing this. She realized that much of what he said was true, and she knew that they weren't doing too well against his minions. However, there was only the option to play for more time. She didn't know what it might achieve, but anything was better than going with him.

"I don't believe you." She finally stated. "I think you're not satisfied with your power. Why else would you come this far just to get me?"

Diablos didn't change. Instead, his eyes narrowed in a bit of annoyance.

"This is growing tiresome. How about I test out how much you do care for these civilians and see if you really will be able to pull that trigger?"

The monster waved a hand to his side. Immediately, the black figures that surrounded him shifted their staffs and aimed the heads of them down below at the surrounding crowds. Krystea's eyes widened, and the people below stiffened. However, no materia came out which would have signified that a spell was coming, and for now most people in the world were still unfamiliar with "raw" magic. Not only that, but these figures didn't take long at all to generate a spell. The people didn't truly suspect anything until the magic fired.

Moments later, magical energy struck all about Krystea with deadly force. Fire, ice, water, lightning…all of the elements ripped down around her and blasted the crowd. In shock, the woman pulled the gun away from her head and shielded her eyes, covering them for protection from explosions and smoke that erupted around her. The noise was deafening from the bevy of spells, but still Krystea was able to hear the sounds of some crying out…some in pain…some in death. Whoever was still hanging around Krystea, having not run before when they had the chance, was being annihilated. Krystea could feel the force of what was striking them rip and tug at her clothes, while the light from the blasts burned bright enough to be seen through her eyelids. She was shocked. She had expected the black capes to be some sort of monster…but she hadn't expected black wizards… Now the forces blew around her so much that she felt rather helpless and weak compared to them, able to be blown aside at a moment's discretion. However…she also thought of one other thing.

Rude was still standing nearby when the magical blasts went off.

Krystea's eyes shot open again, even though she had to wince at first from the dying explosions. She saw fire, burn marks, upturned pavement, and ice crystals gathered around. The sounds of eruptions were still dying down, and she also saw people in pain either crying out from the ground or fleeing while enflamed or otherwise hurt. Signs of damage to the surroundings were also all around her, and she had just barely evaded taking some of the damage herself. However, she couldn't see where Rude had gone…if he had managed to run or if he was struck by some of the objects around them…

That was when it happened. A sleek black object suddenly shot in front of Krystea's vision. Her head snapped to it, but this time her reflexes weren't fast enough. Before she could react, it went straight to her loose hand with the gun. Now no longer pointed at her head, it had little trouble seizing it and ripping it clean out of her grasp. Her head turned to this instead as she exclaimed in surprise. She caught the object fluttering away in front of her, and quickly snatched for it. But it was already too late. The gun was lifted just out of her finger grasp and began to rise.

Only now did she get a good look at what it was. A black bat, not natural but almost like an animate piece of darkness, had come from Diablos and had seized the weapon while she was distracted. Now, it was fluttering its wings and bringing it back to its master. She watched as her gun, the bat still carrying it, slowly went over the raised disk to come to a rest in the outstretched hand of Diablos. On touching it, the bat immediately melted back into the hand, as if it had been nothing more than an extension from the monster to begin with (which it likely was), leaving the gun itself lying in the center of it.

Krystea, now filling with fear again, looked to the monster. He cracked a smile back at her before clenching his fist and obliterating the gun completely. Pieces of stock and ammo dripped out of his hand and fell to the ground of the disk.

"You've annoyed me for the last time, woman." He stated. "Before you leave, I'm going to repay the gesture by letting you watch your friends and the rest of this city die. After all…the more despair you feel, the more delicious your power will be when I absorb it." A taloned hand raised and pointed out into the bay. "Look in the sky."

For a moment, Krystea had the sensation of the oldest trick in the book being played on her, that Diablos was simply saying, "look over there", in essence and leaving her defenseless. However, evil and wicked as this thing might be…she had a feeling that it wouldn't resort to something so simple. And so, she did turn and look behind her.

From her position she had moved to, the warehouse no longer totally blocked her view out to the ocean. She could see straight down to the shoreline and beyond it to the vast sea. But there was nothing there, and it wouldn't matter if there was considering how dark it was. In the sky, however, there was enough light tinting the horizon to make out dark shapes. Not only that, but they seemed to be casting their own illumination to signify their presence. Dots of light were on each dark shape in the air. They were rapidly getting larger, however, indicating that they were coming straight for Junon. Even if Krystea didn't have a technical knowledge, by now seeing these items was common enough to be easily recognized by anyone on Gaia. Seeing them all coming as one, however, was far less common, save to war veterans. There were at least seven incoming now…

_Airships…_ Krystea thought. _But…what did he mean by…?_

The Turk soon got an answer. As they neared, she began to make out more shapes. They were tiny, but there were dozens of them, and all of them were swarming around the airships. Again, they were simply specks at first, and she couldn't tell what they might be. But their shapes grew more distinctive as they neared, and as she watched them Krystea realized they matched the shapes of the similar black objects swarming Junon. They were gargoyles. She was afraid for a moment, thinking that they were under attack. That's why they were late. They had to deal with these swarms of Diablos that had come out to deal with them…

Then she noticed that they weren't firing any side guns or cannons, and that they were leisurely flying straight along with them.

That was when the real fear settled in.

"You didn't think I'd overlook such fantastic weapons, did you?" Diablos sneered. "That's the best part about this world. Every time one of the various souls within me destroys this world, the secret of flight becomes lost. Hence, airships are always the best way to rain down destruction. And to think…that you thought I wouldn't keep an eye out looking for them to gather. As soon as they were all in one place, it was a simple matter of having my former esper associate sing to them. And, unfortunately for you and your soon-to-be deceased friends, Siren can only undo her own spells by singing that same note to all of them in auditory range. So you can believe me when I tell you that they will soon annihilate this town. You should feel thankful, woman. I'm sparing them from living forever as my minions. After all, there won't be enough left of their corpses to reanimate."

The Turk turned back to Diablos…and despite her fear grit her teeth in anger at him. That was the only thing she could do now. She turned back to the battle portion of the city. Fire and death was still gathering over there. The espers weren't turning the tide. People were panicking and screaming. Diablos' armies had almost free reign in the city now. They were conquered by air, land, and sea at this point, and they had no defenses left. Now the finishing blow was coming. For all her rage and anger toward the demon…she realized they were doomed. They were about to lose.

_If there are any espers left…I hope their powers are miracles…_

* * *

To be continued...


	31. Alexander Returns

Krystea could actually see them preparing to fire as they neared. It was only a slight change from a distance, but she could faintly see the sides of the airships open and deploy to the sides. They were arming the missiles. The woman tightened her fists, and looked behind her again. Diablos wasn't doing anything. He seemed to just be watching and waiting for the strike. If what he said was true…he might have been wanting to enjoy it. The Turk didn't know what to do. However, after a moment or so longer, she realized that anything was better than just waiting here for the end. She had to try something even if it was futile.

Looking down from the sky, Krystea's gaze swept around her again. She was still surrounded by destruction from the bevy of spells that had fired moments earlier. However, just to her left was a break in between an amount of fire and a pillar of ice. About twenty feet from it was a break between the warehouse and the next nearest building. Not the best place in the world…but it was all she had. Hoping Diablos was preoccupied, the woman suddenly snapped off of her feet and ran for it…

She got two steps before a white-hot bolt of electricity shot out of the sky and pulverized the ground in the gap. The Turk's eyes widened as she immediately planted her feet, barely able to keep from running right into it. Had she not been able to stop herself, she would have been fried. Immediately, she turned her head back around and up to the circle…and felt a chill travel through her as she noted that Diablos was staring at her again. She didn't even pick up on the one black wizard with his staff aimed down at her, the source of the blast. The demon wasn't smiling.

"Alright…you can have it your way." He sneered, raising his palm again and aiming it at her. "Enjoy your last glimpse of light."

Krystea hesitated. She wasn't sure what to do. She had a feeling he'd fire faster this time…and wasn't sure if she could dodge…or what would await her if she didn't manage to avoid him…

Then they heard it.

It was hard to describe what it was exactly. It sounded like some sort of ringing or singing…and yet it seemed much higher toned and more potent. Whether it was instrument or voice was impossible to make out, but it grew louder very quickly. It was a pleasant sound…not harsh or hideous like Siren's last note, nor enchanting and intoxicating like her charming voice. It was just comforting…something that resonated with the heart and stilled its anxiety. At least…that's how Krystea thought of it…

Diablos, on the other hand, seemed to give out a hiss. For the first time, his expression twisted into true irritation. His eyes shot up and away from Krystea. Just as they did, light burst out from behind the Turk. She saw its glow shine on the demon in front of her. It was pure and white, whatever it was, and was something far more potent than the dawn. And when Diablos looked up and spotted it, she saw him suddenly hiss and wince, as if he hated to even look at it. His hand went away from pointing at Krystea and instead raised to shield his own face somewhat. The Turk realized this was her chance to run for it…and yet, she wasn't able to. The source of the light and sound, not to mention how it had managed to stun Diablos, aroused her curiosity, and she found herself turning back to the bay to see what had happened.

An amazing sight awaited her. Rays of pure white light, glorious and seeming to almost tear at the darkness and gloom of Diablos, were shooting across the ocean. However, they weren't perfectly rigid. Rather, they seemed to be like packets of energy, for they swayed and turned on pathways as they came. They also were breaking apart into smaller rays, splitting like branches of a tree and becoming more numerous as they went by. At first, they merely skimmed the ocean, running across the bay from north to south. But that only lasted until they reached the area beneath the approaching airships. Then, they abruptly arched up ninety degrees and shot straight into the heavens. They picked up speed as they did so, so that within moments they had reached the craft. Instead of blasting them out of the sky, Krystea saw the rays appear to simply sink into the ships, as if they were absorbed by them…

The Turk was puzzled by this, but soon heard more ringing sounds shooting out to the north. She turned and looked again, and saw that there were more rays in the city. Only this time, there were at least three dozen rays shooting over the same road that led alongside the cliffs into the major part of town. These ones went horizontal to the ground at a height of about two hundred feet for a while…but then they too abruptly branched off into dozens…hundreds…even thousands more separate beams. The moment they did, they all shot down into the city, each terminal branch going to a slightly different area. Krystea thought she could hear impact noises as a result, but she couldn't be sure. At any rate, there were no pure white explosions that went up from each strike. There was some sort of sound…but it was strange. Krystea couldn't determine what it was, only that it sounded like shattering glass…

Yet she didn't focus on this long. Instead, she noted that one of the beams was not breaking out over that portion of the city…but was arching around and heading straight for them. It took only moments to realize it was headed for someone in particular.

"No…"

A hideous scowl hissed behind Krystea that one single word. She turned and looked, and immediately saw the black wizards bracing themselves as much as possible while Diablos himself spread his palms out in front of him, struggling to stave off the assault…

Moments later, and the beam broke into multiple smaller ones…but got no closer. Some sort of energy barrier formed an invisible orb around the hovering disk, making it clear that even if Krystea had fired it would have done no good. The beam might as well have still been one when it hit for all it was able to split apart. However…that wasn't to say it did nothing. Like some sort of coin or frisbee that had been flipped, the impact smashed into the disk and sent it flying. Even with its shield, its denizens were powerless to keep it from spiraling madly over itself again and again, and get cast into the air like so much debris. Just as Diablos had flung the sea serpent, now he and his coven found themselves flung up and out to the rest of the city wildly. Soon, the disk was blocks away and still tumbling over itself as it came for a landing.

Krystea was stunned as well as relieved. What sort of force possessed that much power?

She was still wondering this when she realized that, in spite of the beams being gone…the glow of whiteness was growing larger. The ringing sound was getting louder as well. Now, sounds of what seemed to be gears or pistons was mixing in with it. It was rapidly getting closer behind her. The Turk turned back around to the ocean, and her mouth slackened. Her eyes looked up and she stepped back in awe.

The new arrival descended on rockets blasting white purity. It was so large (at least 400 square feet at the base) that it proceeded to crush half of the already-ruined warehouse as it came down. It crumpled easily under it weight as the "thrusters" let it slowly down, and then had their glow die as the ringing sound slowly died out along with it. Apparently, whatever sort of power it ran on made that noise. At first, she thought it was a new esper…hopefully one on their side. Yet as she looked up at this, and saw how it moved itself on some sort of engine and rockets, she began to wonder if it was a machine instead…although she had no idea what or who had managed to create such a thing. But when she looked up to see the whole construction, she honestly couldn't tell one way or the other.

Two tower-like appendages, which might have been limbs for all Krystea knew, supported the colossal machine. They were ornamented like towers as well, with ridges and columns incorporated into their design. What was its torso appeared to be a very large, very old suit of armor, but nevertheless one that blended seamlessly with the arms to form one unit. There were no visible legs, and it was hard to tell if the machination was even capable of locomotion. Its shoulders, however, were decked with large, prismatic, metal shoulder plates. Despite the fact that it looked ancient, Krystea saw two golden bays with numerous openings slowly descend into the shoulder armor pieces to the tune of whirring and groaning, indicating that this thing actually had some sort of multiple missile launcher systems built into it. The head…or what Krystea assumed was the head…was cylindrical and armored as well. She couldn't tell for certain if it had eyes or not, but some sort of crown with spires like stones on a battlement sat on top of it, further accenting the castle-like qualities of this construction. It was almost as if it had been a castle in a former life.

At its highest point, it was a hundred feet tall easily, and seemed so large and impressive that it appeared to be totally immobile and inpregnable, rather like a castle itself. And yet, somehow, it seemed that it was indeed capable of movement. Krystea noticed this when, shortly after landing, its massive, pillar-like limbs moved slightly to the side to the sounds of thousands of clockwork gears and machinery pieces clicking and adjusting. When it did "shift weight", it shook the ground so violently that Krystea was nearly bowled over, and she quickly backed farther away from it.

Both figures were silent for a moment. The giant colossus stayed put, while Krystea was too nervous to speak. Finally, its head rotated slightly toward her. Pistons loosened, and its torso doubled over slowly as its head was lowered just enough to that wherever its eyes were could look to the Turk. Krystea was surprised and stood back…but she wasn't as fearful as she thought she would be. It wasn't simply from putting logic together and realizing that the construct had just helped her. It was something else… Tall, formidable, and cold as this machine seemed…and emotionless as anyone might think it was…she somehow sensed something…pleasant…coming from it…

Still, she found herself turning white when a voice reverberated through her very being.

**You must go.**

Krystea recoiled a bit, but kept looking to the construct. She paused only for a few seconds, however, before leaning back again.

"…You're…another esper?"

**You must escape while you can.** The being answered with whatever voice it had. **I do not know if I can defeat Diablos. His power may have grown too strong for any one individual to destroy him. However, if he does the same to you as he has done with the other Cetra, this world will die.**

The Turk still hesitated. "But…didn't you just…"

"So…like me…the various souls that stream to you after they die fill you with knowledge…"

Krystea turned white once again. As the machine above her clicked and moaned, adjusting itself properly again, she slowly turned her head back to the source of the noise. As she did, a sickening wet sound went out. The first thing her eyes saw as they went back was the gory, fleshy, rotten remains of a man's face get cast to the ground like a discarded piece of trash. She then heard cracking, like scales or muscles or joints popping out into place. After that, her eyes looked up. The terror that froze her minutes ago was tripled.

In a mess of blood and disgusting gestures, the figure ripped the last few shreds of its outer "suit" off, fully exposing the abomination underneath. Its body seemed to bulge and stretch as it did so, increasing its overall height by at least six feet as it emerged. Everything else seemed to grow in proportion. The remaining bits of blood that decked its scales seemed to rot and wither away from whatever aura it was eminating.

There was little of the thing left that hadn't been revealed. Its body was a mess of blood-red and midnight-black scales interlocked over powerful sinews and muscles. They weren't helter-skelter but arranged like armor plates. The tail was still there, still thrashing about on the roof where it had perched. The claws in its feet grasped hard onto the concrete, fracturing it beneath its clutches. However…there was the face…

It was a twisted, upside down triangle, being made from the large spike jutting from the chin and the crests alongside its head. The face itself was warped and hooked with a hawk-like black beak for a nose coming over its large mouth, showing off massive teeth. Two upturned horns grew from its brow straight out, and its serpentine eyes glowed out of its self generated blackness with a vivid yellow. It cracked its twisted neck once, and then proceeded to unfurl its wings at long last. Like bat appendages, one could make out the formation of large, oversized hands with thumbs tipped with long, glowing claws. The blackness faded to blood red as it traveled down the wings toward the feet. As the wings spread, a cloud of inky black bats spread forth from it and fluttered off around it. But they didn't abandon the monster…only swarmed around it in a predictable pattern. Its knuckles cracked before it dropped both hands to its sides, and dark orbs already began to form in the center of the palms.

There was no hiding the demon now. It looked as terrible as the worst arch-fiend. Only the devil itself probably looked more demonic and evil.

Diablos was revealed.

Krystea was nearly immobilized, but somehow she managed to back away from the monster. That was good…for it shifted her away from the cold, lifeless aura that the fiend radiated and back toward the warm, life-giving one that the new arrival cast off. As she got closer, it gave enough of its own presence to resist Diablos', and she turned and looked up to the colossus next to her. She saw that it had already turned its full attention to the demon in front of it, and that parts of its armor were glowing with the same pure light as its rockets had. It was bracing for battle.

Krystea looked between the two of them…literally able to sense the power radiating off of them. Part of it might have been her Cetra heritage, but it was more likely that even people with no sensory ability could detect the energy pouring off these two. Irregardless of what else happened, this was going to be the big battle. And despite how much larger the colossus was, she had a feeling it wasn't not going to be one sided. Who knew how much of Junon would be left standing when they were finished…

At any rate, she knew one thing was clear. The giant was right.

"…Alright." She finally answered it. The magical powers had died down now, and Krystea had little trouble turning toward the giant and running toward it, moving around behind it before she would get moving to a new location. Diablos didn't try to stop her, but the colossus shifted and moved closer, turning its full attention to the demon now. Krystea wanted to voice some encouragement, but she felt nervous talking to it and wondered if it just wouldn't want her to get moving. So instead, hoping it could hear her mentally and took this the "right way", she simply thought.

_Whoever you are, big guy…I hope you beat the crap out of him._

* * *

Denzel only had to grunt and strain a bit more before the lid began to slide. It was heavy, that was for sure. If anyone was trapped inside, there was no way they could get it off. It had taken him quite some time to get the tip of his own sword wedged down into the cracks, even longer to wiggle it in, and now he and Marlene quite a bit of effort to get it to move. Now, it was only slowly sliding off of the top, revealing the dark interior.

Marlene, while helping through clenched teeth press down on the sword like a pry bar, looked up to Denzel. "This thing is going to be ruined with how much you've been abusing it…"

"Eh…it was free." Denzel answered as he leapt up and put all his weight on the end, successfully pushing the sarcophagus lid a few more inches. After that, he stood back down and panted. Both teenagers released and moved back, and Denzel pulled his weapon out. He wiped at his sweaty brow and rested a moment.

"You really think he put them here?" Marlene asked as she too backed off and took a breather.

"Four of these things filled…two big, two small…one empty one left?" Denzel answered. He gave a nod. "Seems that way to me."

Marlene frowned as she looked back to the overhanging lid. "These are airtight…do you think…?"

Denzel frowned in response to this, but said nothing. He went back to the lid and leaned over to it. "Only one way to find out…" He remarked as he put his sword against the stone box and then put both hands on the top. Gritting his teeth, he dug his feet in and pushed with all his might. "Come on! Help out!" He called to the girl.

Marlene exhaled but then stepped forward and grabbed it as well. Soon, both of them were pushing with all their might against it. It took a moment, but slowly the sounds of stone scraping stone began to ring out. The lid of the sarcophagus began to move. They kept pushing it for a few moments as it went. Denzel cracked his eyes and saw that the light was beginning to hit whatever was within, but he didn't focus on whatever it was. He would after they got the lid off. The two pushed on for a bit longer, sliding the lid off further and further…

Finally, more of it was over the edge than on top of the sarcophagus. As a result, the weight of the lid yanked down, and pulled the entire stone structure off of the top. Both teens were surprised as it suddenly left their hands, and then recoiled a moment later when the edge struck the ground with a booming thunk, sending a deep noise throughout the entire chamber. Both held back for a moment from that, as the echo traveled throughout the entire temple, and the ceiling actually rained a few dust granules. This place was still fearsome, and it seemed as if any out-of-place noise might bring any host of monsters down on top of them. They looked around for a moment longer…but in the end nothing came. With that in mind, the two looked to each other and let out a nervous exhale, and then back to the stone box.

They had pulled back a bit, and so they both had to walk in a bit more to get a good look. Denzel readily walked forward with Marlene hesitating behind. He reached the lid of the sarcophagus and looked inside.

To tell the truth, he wasn't entirely surprised. A place like this, more of a tomb than a temple, and what else would have been in such an ancient burial box?

A golden coffin was within. It was heavily ornamented and designed, very similar to those of the ancient races that used to dwell in the desert portions of the world. It made sense to Denzel. He had heard stories about how they used to be necromancers that built monuments and used the drying power of the sands and forbidden techniques to preserve the dead and use them as warriors or guardians or something. And Diablos was supposed to be an esper of death… At any rate, it was exquisite. It's ancient style made it appear to be thousands of years old. It was molded and crafted into a vaguely humanoid shape, with arms crossed in front of it bearing profane symbols of death. The figure it was made into was dressed like one of the necromancer idols. However…the face was far more unmistakable. It had been hand-crafted into something else.

Marlene leaned over the edge, looked over the coffin for a moment, and then to the face of the figure. She immediately voiced the realization.

"That…looks like Mrs. Aerith…"

The two hadn't known whose sarcophagus they were opening, or even if the missing people were in there for certain. They still weren't sure for certain. However, it was beginning to look that way. For a moment longer, they hesitated and looked on at the coffin.

Denzel was the one who finally drew himself up and inhaled, turning to Marlene.

"Alright…we can't just stand here. Let's open it."

Marlene looked back to him, but after a moment nodded. The two turned back to the coffin. After hesitating a bit longer, they leaned over and grasped the lid. Both nearly yanked back after doing so. It was cold…or rather, not so much cold…as seeming to drain the heat from one's fingers. It was a shocking sensation to say the least… However, they soon recovered and put their palms back. Bearing through the sensation, they both gave a push. Again, they met with a surprise. The coffin lid didn't appear fastened or even that heavy despite the gold workmanship…but it nevertheless refused to budge initially. It was almost as if the coffin was trying to hang on to its own lid… As they struggled against it, Denzel feared for a moment that he might need to use his sword again. Yet just before he was about to…the lid suddenly released. Both Denzel and Marlene nearly fell on top of it from the surprise, but quickly pulled back afterward as the lid slid off into the side of the sarcophagus. Leaning up, both of them looked down to see what had been revealed.

Again…Denzel would be lying if he hadn't, somewhere subconsciously, been expecting this, although it was a surprise none the less.

It was a mummy. At least…that's what it appeared to be. A humanoid figure wrapped from head to toe in linen. The arms were crossed over the chest, both individually wrapped, and then bound to the chest itself. The legs themselves were locked from the wrappings. The figure was totally motionless.

The two hesitated a moment more, but then Denzel made the first move. He reached down and began to pick up the sword again.

Marlene turned to him. "What are you going to do?"

"Cut it open, I guess." Denzel answered.

The girl was uneasy. "Are you sure? I mean…what if this is a trap? Couldn't this be a monster or something?"

"It's pretty fancy for just a trap." Denzel answered. "Besides, look how it's bound up. If it was some attack mummy or something, it wouldn't even be able to move."

Marlene didn't argue with that. Instead, she stepped back and exhaled, leaving Denzel to it.

Now that the idea was in his head, Denzel was a bit nervous about proceeding. Nevertheless, he swallowed and turned to the mummy once again. Moving very carefully, he leaned his sword over to the head of the figure. Tightening his grip and moving slow, he very gently put the tip underneath one of the bandages and sliced through one of the wrappings. Once that was done, he set his sword aside and leaned over. On the plus side, it didn't smell old or musty. Even in this dank interior, the linen bandages smelled fresh. His fingers slowly reached over next and grabbed the edge, and then slowly began to unravel them.

The figure was wrapped in at least three layers, and Denzel found himself undoing quite a few and putting loose wrappings to the side before finding anything. Luckily, loosening the first made it possible to shift through the remainder. Slowly, the imprint of a face began to become clear from beneath the bandages as Denzel reached the last layer. Once there, he quickly grabbed a fist full, yanking them into his palms as he did so, and then pulled in either direction to reveal it.

At first, Denzel thought he had to go through more. The skin beneath was as pale and white as the bandages he was removing. It felt cold and dry…utterly lifeless. Yet the texture soon proved to him that he had found the mummified individual. As soon as he pulled the last away, he removed his hands. Marlene stepped forward and looked inside, and soon their thoughts were confirmed.

"Mrs. Aerith…" Marlene remarked. At first, her voice sounded somewhat enthusiastic…but it quickly died down as she looked closer at her. Both teenagers were quiet for a few moments, before a fear began to move through both of them. No breath was coming from the form. The chest wasn't rising or falling. The face remained lifeless after being exposed. Besides…could anyone live wrapped up in layers like that, sealed inside an airtight coffin and sarcophagus?

"Is she…?" Marlene found herself asking.

Denzel swallowed, not wanting to be the one to figure this out. He reached over and put his hands over her nose. Nothing. Not the slightest breeze. Frowning, he moved to her neck next, and proceeded to tear as well as pull at the bandages wrapped around it. It took him a few moments, but he managed to get down to the innermost layer. After that, he planted his fingers against her neck. Again, nothing. He felt his stomach begin to knot. He continued to hold for a moment, still hoping…

Finally…a very weak, very faint beat traveled through them.

Denzel snapped to Marlene immediately. "She's still alive!"

The girl's own fear evaporated in an instant. Denzel himself snapped back to Aerith, and after looking around a bit and finding no better option leaned over and grabbed her shoulders. He tried to shake them.

"Mrs. Aerith! We're here!"

No response. Aerith lay there like a lifeless corpse.

"Mrs. Aerith!" Denzel retorted, shaking harder.

Still nothing.

Marlene quickly stepped in next and leaned over the lid of the coffin. She looked over the woman a moment, but then to her face. "Mrs. Aerith?" After getting no response again, she reached out herself. She went to the neck, just as Denzel had a moment ago. Meanwhile, Denzel, after hesitating a moment, actually leaned over and slapped Aerith's cheek lightly. It did no good. The woman didn't even flinch.

A moment later, Marlene pulled her hand away and turned to Denzel in confusion. "She's alive…but her pulse…it's so weak. Her heart's only beating once every eight seconds."

Denzel turned back to her with a surprised look. "That slowly? Can anyone even live like that?"

Marlene frowned in response. "This must mean what Leviathan meant by 'living death'. It's almost like she's being preserved here…put into stasis."

Denzel hesitated after hearing that. It did make sense. It seemed like a good way for a person to be put into "living death" would be by being mummified alive. Of course…that still left a big problem.

"…So how can we wake her up?"

Marlene could only look helplessly back. Denzel sighed, and turned back to Aerith. He hesitated a bit longer, but then decided to try something. He had a feeling Marlene wouldn't approve, so he did it without verification. Abruptly, he raised his sword over her, pointed the tip down, and moved over to her cheeks.

The girl's eyes widened. "Denzel, what are you…?"

It was too late. Denzel dipped the tip of his blade onto her cheek. Mentally asking Aerith to forgive him, he pressed against it until a small amount of vermillion began to come out. After that, he quickly pulled it back. Marlene was rather stunned, but Denzel quickly looked over her face for any change.

The blood in her body seemed to almost be turned into syrup for how slow it was moving. Only very slowly did a red drop of blood slowly come out of the cheek wound. However, Aerith didn't so much as flutter an eyelid. She seemed immune to pain. Marlene, on seeing this, began to realize what Denzel was trying, and quieted down. He frowned as he put the sword against the sarcophagus again.

"Even hurting her doesn't make her react… What do we do?"

Marlene frowned and looked over Aerith for a moment. A few seconds went by. In the end, she sighed and looked back up to him with a shrug.

"I don't know. Maybe if we get all of these wrappings off of her she'll wake up. At any rate, we should get her and the others out of this before those things outside find a way to open the door…"

* * *

"The great Alexander…" Diablos hissed as he crouched lower on the rooftop, keeping his hands ready to fire. He let out a chuckle afterward. "Leviathan's prize creation…the testament to the world's goodness…who lived not even one hour before being annihilated. What does that say about your source of power?"

**Although I know you will not listen, I must warn you to surrender now.**

"You're right about one thing…" The demon answered. "And what if I don't feel like it? Who now can stand against my power? Even you can't stop me now. Allow me to demonstrate."

Without any further warning, the monster raised his palms and aimed them at the rather large target. Moments later, like some sort of strange energy gun, black, electrified balls of energy ripped forth from his palms. Making a strange rippling sound in the air, they sailed straight for the chest of Alexander in a straight line.

The colossus, however, soon showed that it had speed to match its size. With a sound of gears grinding and connections forming, the giant suddenly moved its massive appendages and shoved its body to the side, crushing a few abandoned shacks underneath in its wake. As it did so, however, a section of its armor around the head portion split, revealing an additional bay underneath. Moments later, and a pure white focused laser shot forth from the aperture and fired straight at the demon, even while still dodging.

Diablos hissed, and immediately leapt backward. The cloud of bats surrounding him followed close behind. The beam struck his area a moment later, but, unlike what one would think, did not decimate the building. Unlike his brethren, Alexander did not engage in wanton destruction unless he could avoid it. However, if one would doubt the deadly power of his beams, they needed look no further than a stray darkness bat that was left behind. It accidentally flew into the path of the laser, and immediately was consumed by the radiant power, causing it to disintegrate in a flash.

The beam didn't stop, but immediately arched upward and chased after Diablos. The monster cackled in response, and simply flapped its bat-like wings once, sending it flying into the air with its "entourage" following behind. The laser gave chase, but he ascended far too quickly for it, soon raising above the level of the blast aiming for him. Unfortunately for Diablos, this was intended. The moment Diablos was "safely" in the air, the bays on the shoulders of Alexander glowed purely and then fired. A storm of two dozen pure rockets shot out and sailed in a mass for Diablos, each one taking a slightly different path to make them impossible to track.

The monster saw this, and one scaled eyebrow rose. In response, Diablos swung his talons in front of him. Immediately, the bats flew together in front of him and touched each other, immediately melting into their respective black substances and fusing. Within an instant, a half-sphere of darkness had formed as a shield in front of the demon. Moments afterward, the rockets arrived and detonated. They didn't all home in on the target, but rather erupted in a cloud around the monster, like some sort of strange holy flak gun. The dark sphere and Diablos himself soon vanished into a mist of white energy eruptions.

Alexander finished firing, but didn't let down his guard. The bays stayed open, and he braced his tower-like limbs for another assault. The mists in front of him of holy energy let out a sort of angelic chiming even in their wake, but remained deadly to dark powers none the less. His head laser shrank into a focused dot, priming itself for another shot but holding steady for the moment. Time ticked by for a moment more…

Then, came a laugh.

"Weak fool!"

The pure mists suddenly broke as a form came out of it. However, it wasn't Diablos himself. Rather, he was enveloped in his dark energies, having grown from a sphere to a more ballistic, bullet shape. Purple clouds of energy rippled around it as the monster turned its body into a living projectile and sailed straight for the chest of the colossus. Alexander, if possible, seemed to lean up a bit to indicate surprise. A second later, the laser fired, but it was already too late to get a bead on the demon. It undershot the monster as he continued to rush forward, and a moment later his self-made "cannonball" smashed into the chest of the colossus.

The force shook the air around the two, making the clouds overhead ripple as the windows in the bay shattered. Alexander's body was ripped off of its mooring and send flying backward, ripping the rest of the warehouse to shreds. Black energies rippled around his entire armored form although the power simply hit him in the chest. The black amount of matter continued to push into him, forcing him further back and digging deeper and deeper into him, looking like it would smash the entire construct into the ocean.

Yet that didn't happen. Abruptly, the tower-like limbs of Alexander swiveled around to the tune of thousands of gears moving, and then planted themselves into the ground behind it. He dug in a bit more, but the holy esper was far from finished or too weak to stop him. After grinding about ten more feet, he came to a halt and held there. Even at that point, Diablos' darkness-enveloped body continued to push against him, sending waves of black energy through his body. Yet unlike the others, Alexander was not so easily defeated, especially not when his innate was the antithesis of all death and evil. He held his ground and continued to weather the assault for a few seconds.

Then, most suddenly, one of the tower like appendages raised, swung around, and with a huge motion that cut a massive swath through the air, smashed the bottom of it into Diablos like a golf club striking a ball.

The figure was unable to hold, and immediately his body was ripped off of Alexander's chest and sent flying to the side. The darkness covering Diablos took the form of a sphere, and the energies swirled uncontrollably and dissipated as it flew off. Yet it only got about a hundred feet away before halting in midair. A moment later, and the energy waves totally faded. After that, the black sphere itself quickly fragmented into tiny shards, each one of which turned back into a bat and started to flutter again. As for Alexander, the colossus quickly righted itself and braced its body once again. Yet it revealed something else. The armor directly over its torso was warped and dented from having taken the blow that the demon had given it. By the time it had and focused on Diablos again, the last of the sphere had turned into a cloud of bats again. Diablos, arms crossed and rather calm, hovered in the center.

"So you're not as weak as your pathetic creator…" He simply uttered. "But it makes no difference. All you've really done is prolonged the time it takes to defeat you. I didn't even feel anything but a light push from that last move. You're already finished."

Then, without another word of warning, the monster swung an arm forward, made a palm, and fired once again. A much larger ball of dark energy, this one also sizzling with black electricity, came off from it and sailed for the chest of Alexander, right in the same injured position. Alexander responded immediately. Rather than dodging this time, his own head laser fired again, hitting the orb perfectly before closing half the distance to him. On striking it, the dark attack was instantly vaporized…

Yet Alexander still snapped back on his tower like legs and nearly staggered a moment later as Diablos, cackling all the while, shot past him with lightning speed and slashed out with his claws at his "face". The orb was simply a diversion before his bat surrounded body tore by and struck him against the head. His blood-tinted claws immediately ripped open a huge gash across the head armor, exposing the pure light within it as the figure shot by. The holy esper was stunned, but still snapped back quickly and aimed its still firing head laser for Diablos. Yet it was too late. Despite his own speed, the laser trailed behind the demon as it shot past, trailing behind it too slowly to be able to hit the figure. The monster itself cackled the whole time in mocking the colossus.

It continued to dodge until Alexander cut off the beam, letting it recharge for a stronger blast. Only then did the monster turn in midair and proceed to fire off another orb of energy twice as big for his face…

* * *

Both sides of the fight were forced to stop a bit and look to see what had happened, as both alike were equally astonished at what Alexander had accomplished. Vincent himself was amazed. He had thought of the espers as being unusually powerful monsters, but not much else. This, however, made the holy one look to be at least a match for Diablos in terms of craft…at least he hoped. Yuffie herself was much like the large minotaur, standing agape and staring at the surroundings.

Like burning leaves, the armor that enclosed each "troop" of Diablos' main army was withering away into flakes and then blowing off on the wind. It wasn't like the army really cared. Each one was lying on their belly or back on the ground, not moving a muscle. Yet for those who were "still human", it was a far greater shock for them. No sooner had the armor eroded than their bodies beneath were revealed to be undergoing transformations. Their hair was growing back, their muscles were shrinking, and their teeth were returning to normal size. Each one, who before had been some sort of horrible green monster, was reverting back into human form.

Vincent, Yuffie, and the two minotaurs were at a standstill in one of the main streets. Vincent had been perched behind a barricade, using his handgun to shoot at the attacking minotaurs in the eyes. Such wasn't stopping them, but it was a vulnerable enough spot with a powerful enough weapon to where they were stunned temporarily. As for Yuffie, she had been using other bits of debris along the way, plus her ninja agility, to move around from place to place and try to hold the two back with her shuriken. It was enough to make the two hesitate in their blind charging for at least a few minutes, making them take up picking pieces of roadway and throwing that at them instead. But now, both had stopped when they saw the rays of energy from the holy esper arrive. They turned and looked to see a large division of Diablos' troops approaching, and watched as the beams struck each one. Like they had been smited by the heavens, each fell and began to undergo their transformation.

Vincent watched it a bit longer, before the silence was broken.

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR ARMY?"

Vincent and Yuffie alike focused their attention back on the huge one at that. However, it was the little minotaur which turned to him and soon spoke up.

"alexander has returned, sacred. it looks like he is as powerful as the legends said. it took diablos days to accomplish what he erased in moments."

The big one, obviously Sacred, turned to the small one at that in surprise.

"HUH? WHAT…THAT'S NOT FAIR! THAT WAS OUR ARMY!" Immediately, he snapped to the now unconscious humans lying on the ground, and balled his hands into fists. "DIRTY… I'LL BEAT THEM ALL DOWN RIGHT NOW! I'LL…"

"do nothing."

Not only Sacred, but Vincent and Yuffie as well, were surprised on hearing that. The large one turned back, and immediately looked sore.

"BUT BIG BROTHER…!"

"leave them be. we're not going to kill humans indiscriminately no matter what diablos wants, especially not something that alexander undid." The small one answered. "i never liked what he had done in the first place. it was evil to begin with. this proves it. besides, we don't need their help to win."

Sacred balled his hands into fists and stamped his feet on the ground impatiently. Despite the size, he took on the likeness of an angry little kid. "BUT THAT'S NOT FAAA-IR!"

"…I don't get you two."

Vincent turned his head again at this, as did the two other espers. Only this time, they found themselves looking further down the street. Yuffie was standing out in the open. However, she wasn't attacking or making a move. She simply stood there with hands on her hips looking confused.

"Aren't you supposed to be against that Alexander guy?" She asked them.

Sacred snarled at her. "SHUT UP, HUMAN! THIS DOESN'T-"

The large one, however, quickly shut up as the small one put out a tiny hand. Doing that, however, was more than enough to get the big one to quiet down. He looked to the small one, pouted a bit, but kept his mouth shut and stepped back. Vincent realized now that the little one really was the superior one in terms of authority and intelligence and maturity if not also strength. Moments later, he began to speak back.

"alexander represents all that is good and pure for both the human and esper races." He explained. "i owe more fealty to him than diablos. even if ordered, i would not raise my hand against him."

"BIG BROTHER…" Sacred began to murmur at that.

Again, he was immediately silenced by a hand of the small one.

Yuffie, however, kept her frown. "That doesn't make any sense. If you like Alexander, why are you fighting for Diablos? You don't like what he's doing and you don't like to kill people, so why are you serving him to begin with?"

"TO GET RID OF YOU STINKING, UNGRATEFUL HUMANS!" Sacred bellowed.

"…sacred, one more outburst like that and you get a time out." The small one calmly answered.

Sacred, his ears falling like a dejected puppy, immediately stepped back and cringed, clamming up once again. Once he did, the small one spoke more directly.

"my little brother is partially right." He went on. "irregardless of our leader, the cause is the same. we want a world ruled by espers, not humans. we're wiser and more civilized for the most part…plus we respect the planet far more than your kind has. i may not care for our leader's methods, but he is still our leader. the fact that we are even alive is something we owe to him. i am merely a soldier in his service, and i am only responsible for my own conduct. even if i wasn't, i can do little to defy him save my own tiny acts of 'insurrection'. and regardless of what alexander wants or how, i ultimately believe that this world must be ruled by our kind, for the betterment of both of our races. after all, it was your kind that wanted to abuse the power of all espers, alexander included, to begin with. we will not even have a voice if we do not conquer you now. that's why it would be easier if you would simply surrender now, so that we do not have to kill you."

Yuffie kept her frown at this, obviously not liking how it sounded one bit.

"…You're selfish."

Again, the attention shifted in the conversation. But this time, it was everyone looking to Vincent himself. On hearing this opening insult, Sacred nearly stepped forward and yelled out again…but he stopped himself on looking at his brother. Vincent himself, however, continued to stare at the smaller one with his arms crossed.

"You obviously disagree with how Diablos works. More than that, you know what he's doing is wrong. And yet you're still following him." He explained. "Because one small item he wants is something you want. Until then, you're excusing everything else by thinking that you're in the moral right so long as all you do is avoid doing the same things in your own personal life…as if somehow only the immediate choices that affected you make up the world and you can remain morally sound by doing so. You're deluding yourself and making too much of yourself. It's a pathetic excuse."

Sacred, if possible, began to turn beet red through all of his fur. He looked ready to rip Vincent's head off and shove it through the other end at a single word from his brother. However…the small one hesitated. Because he did so, the large one didn't move in or react any further. Finally, the silence was broken as the little one made a half smile and a snort.

"perhaps you're right. but that doesn't matter." He replied. "long ago we realized humans and espers cannot coexist. if we are to be forced into sharing the same world, the only way we can ensure our own survival is through being the superior of our two species. that is exactly the way humans have seen it…to the point where we were destroyed and became the things of fairy tales so as not to frighten children. in this sense…i must rebel even against alexander."

The small one then proceeded to crack his neck, and ball his hands into fists once again.

"…and if you two insist on not heeding my warning…then i shall allow sacred to vent his wrath on you along with mine."

Finally, the big one grinned wide.

"HEH…'BOUT TIME."

Immediately, he began to walk toward the two defenders.

Yuffie herself let out a groan and rolled her eyes as she began to move her shuriken back again. Vincent himself, keeping his dark look, raised his rifle once again. But before he fired again, he still had time to hear the ninja complain behind him.

"So much for talking them out of this…"

* * *

"Hurry it up, would you! We haven't got all day!"

Even if Rex would have answered, it wouldn't have mattered. He was too out of breath to shoot back at the moment. He was struggling to catch it as well as keep his legs moving as he half-ran, half-stumbled along the field toward the seashore. He couldn't help but think that Carbuncle could speed things up a bit if he ran after him rather than leaving all of the running to one's position to him…

Rex had done as he was told. He finished the magical lamp, hoped that he hadn't screwed up anything crucial at the last moment, and then ran for shore. Of course…seeing as it was a few miles away, that wasn't easy. Physicality was not his strong suit either, and promising himself he wouldn't stop didn't make the trip any better. He was sweat soaked and feeling like jelly all over again by the time he hobbled his way toward the seashore. At this point, he wasn't sure if he was even moving that quickly, or if he was just stumbling in a staggered, running-like fashion as he made his way over.

One thing was certain. On the horizon, Rex didn't like the look of the black tint to the sky. It had to be the work of Diablos. He wasn't sure how someone could be powerful enough to actually blot out the sun, but it was intimidating to say the least. He had a feeling things must be pretty bad indeed by now…and since this was the only way he could help, he did use it to push him on a bit farther.

Finally, the young man stumbled off of the grass and onto the rocky shore. He tightened his grip on the lamp, lest it slip out from his now quite sweaty palm, and heaved as he ground to a halt. He bent over and continued to wheeze and try to catch his breath as sweat dropped from his brow. Even so, Carbuncle was still about ten feet in front of him. The esper sat there and waited for a moment as Rex continued to breathe hard and try and stabilize himself. However, he eventually seemed to realize that this was where he stopped. Rolling his beady black eyes, the green esper finally got up and began to plod forward.

"Oh please…let me run to you instead." Carbuncle griped. "Crimany. I've been up all night in the sewer that time forgot and my legs stride about one tenth of yours, yet you can't even move to where I'm standing. You humans have sure gotten out of shape…"

Rex thought of retorting, but all that came out was a series of harsh whispered words that sounded like mumbles. At any rate, Carbuncle didn't hear this, but instead went up to him and immediately reached out and placed his paw on his shoe.

"Now don't be doing any of this loafing around when we get there. The place is a war zone and I can sense Alexander and Diablos duking it out. If he somehow loses, we're going to have to find some way to get close enough to him with that lamp for him to see his reflection…"

* * *

_To be continued..._


	32. Cooked Celery

Diablos' hands smoldered with dark energy as he flexed in midair, holding both palms upward at his sides. Then, with a yell, he threw one out after the other. Again, Alexander belayed his great size by moving quickly. Swinging his main body like a pendulum from his two tower-like limbs, he swung his body to one side, letting the momentum drag his arms along the ground as if coasting. He tore apart another warehouse in the process, but his body missed the blast, and it shot past him, across the now-mostly-ruined dock area, and detonated in the ocean. As for the next orb of dark energy that followed, he merely fired a chain of pure rockets from one of his shoulders, detonating it at about half the distance from reaching him.

Diablos didn't let up, but immediately threw another orb from his first hand. Alexander himself, however, wasn't staying back, but this time began to charge forward on his tower-like limbs. Despite his size and ungainly look, he managed to rapidly move them forward and "walk" his body toward the hovering demon. Somehow, he confined himself to a street as he did so, keeping his body from smashing too much more as he exited the dock areas and began to move into more residential zones. When Diablos' first orb reached him, the giant responded by using his head laser again to vaporize it. The monster may have gotten in more blows thus far, but Alexander hadn't slowed yet and still had power to spare. This was a fact that was quickly becoming clearer to the demon…

As a result, he hesitated only a fraction of a second, stretching out his senses a bit farther…and then turned and flung the orb of black energy at a three story building nearby instead.

Immediately, Alexander's speed seemed to double. Once again, he planted both arms for a moment and swung his body forward, but this time with far more force. In doing so, he was able to rip himself off of his moorings and shoot up slightly into the air as a giant projectile, sailing over smaller buildings with a single jump. His own senses stretched out to quickly assess the area around him, before he came in for a landing. His massive limbs struck down and planted deep in the concrete around him, crushing one abandoned home with one leg and turning another to plow deep into an intersection. Moments later, the orb of black energy struck him in the chest. His head laser swiveled in a vain attempt to annihilate it…but to no avail. It was already too far and it ignited.

The main bulk of the holy esper's body quivered against the power of the blow. His legs groaned and he was dragged backward partially…but he dug in and held his ground none the less. He had to. That was because he had sensed what Diablos had sensed. At least forty people had taken refuge in the basement of that building the demon had tried to annihilate. There had been no time to destroy the shot, so Alexander had instead thrown his body forward to form a living shield.

"You righteous pieces of trash are all the same…all too easy to destroy when 'precious' lives are threatened!" Diablos cackled. Immediately, he aimed both palms in front of him again…aimed right for the building that Alexander now stood in front of, and fired off another chain of rapid-fire darkness orbs.

Alexander dug his limbs in further, and proceeded to fire out with his own shoulder rockets. Soon, the two were colliding in blasts of white and black energy over the city. Diablos' machine-gun like death blasts against Alexander's holy rockets. Both flowed from either opponent in steady streams, sailed to each other, and then broke apart. Alexander had the harder job. Diablos could shoot faster and just wanted to kill the esper. Alexander was struggling to prevent the blasts from reaching him. Strong as he was, the demon might still push him back enough to crush the building he struggled to protect. Some of the shots did in fact get through, but the colossus took them all and continued to hold. Even when some small fragments of his armor began to blast off from some of the hits, he stood firm.

However, the demon only smiled at this. It had power to spare too, and at the moment it only wanted Alexander to temporarily drain himself staving off his assault and to take some hits in the process. When he felt he had done enough damage and struck enough blows, the monster suddenly swept his body forward and cut off his fire. At the same time, he quickly swept his bats around himself, once again enveloping his body in a dark projectile. Moments later, while Alexander was still cutting off his own battery of rockets, he sailed forward, sizzling with energy again. He intended to not only drive another powerful blow into the part of his body already damaged, but to crush the lives behind him regardless and give himself another rush of power…

Unfortunately, Diablos failed to realize that Alexander wasn't so stupid as to fall for the same attack twice. The colossus held for a fraction of a second that might have seemed to be surprise to the demon, as Diablos picked up speed to increase his destructive power. Then…he suddenly tightened on his limbs and rotated his gears. His middle bent inward as his lower half suddenly raised up and pointed out…and before Diablos could even realize what had happened, he was sailing straight into the holy-thruster-lined underside of the giant. He did slow…but at this point it was too late to keep himself from sailing straight into their range. An instant later, and Alexander fired off.

This time, the colossus stayed put on terra firma, blasting out directly in front of him…and instantly bathing the approaching Diablos in it. The dark orb was soon swallowed up into rays of holy light as wave after wave of energy smashed into him. He halted, but it was too late. The purity eroded his dark bats like water poured over dirt. The thing beneath now got a taste of the power that the colossus possessed. And when he did…Alexander turned up the intensity to blast him with even more energy. He let him get washed for a few moments more…before more grinding and clicking went out. Abruptly, the colossus' tower legs lengthened, slipping out a bit further to increase his height by about thirty more feet. His torso slipped out as well, lengthening his body too. At that, he cut off his thrusters and swung the bulk of his body backward, still suspended above the ground by his appendages. Diablos was revealed for a moment…sort of. A mass flaming with white, holy energy was revealed to be left in the wake of Alexander's attack. The holy esper himself next bent his lower torso back down and then, in a swinging fashion, rocked his main body backward, held, and then swung forward in a pendulum motion. Seconds later, and the main bulk of his lower body smashed into the flaming object. Once again, Diablos was sent flying away from the much larger opponent, cutting a graceful arc of white energy through the air before sailing to the ground once again, colliding with an earth-shaking impact in the middle of an intersection further down the street.

Alexander didn't pause, but immediately compressed his body back to normal dimensions again and eased himself back down. Once both legs and the body touched the earth, he opened his head laser and trained his batteries on the impact. He took only a moment to charge before letting out another barrage at the location. For a moment, the holy energy sailed toward the target, which, from above, seemed to be nothing more than a cloud of dust and smoke in the middle of the streets of Junon…

However, moments before the rocket impacted, and just as the laser began to hit and burn…a black shape shot out like a bolt from the ground to the heavens once again. As it did, the sky above it seemed to churn and tumble over itself, and electricity started to thunder in the clouds…as if it was matching the sudden emotion that the black shape had taken on. Alexander cut off his firepower moments later, and quickly began to angle up to go after the figure. But before he could get it that high, it was already hundreds of feet in the air. It stopped and hovered, spreading its wings out and glaring down below.

Diablos' cloud of bats were gone…at least, for a moment. As he spread his wings out, more bits of darkness began to flow out from them, drop around his body, and then take the form of bats once again. Soon, a new swarm was beginning to encircle him. But before they did, one could just make out in the darkness that Diablos' sleek and perfect scales were now marred and dirty in a few spots. Unfortunately…that was all. There were no other signs of damage or blood. Even so, the monster's hands were balling into fists, and its yellow serpentine eyes seemed to narrow even more as its irregular teeth gnashed.

"That…_HURT!"_

Giving a horrible cry, the monster arched forward and sailed toward Alexander, extending out its palms and fingers and striking out with black lightning as it came.

* * *

The sounds of some sort of electricity rang in Krystea's ears as she ran through the alley. Her hair struggled to whip up behind her in the winds being produced from the battle, and it served to distract her and interfere with her running as she tried to escape. Her body twisted and turned none the less through the various garbage cans, boxes, and other bits of debris that had found their way into the alley. Soon, she reached the end of the alleyway, and immediately turned and ran down the street again. Contrary to what the big one probably wanted, she headed for the north end of town, back to the main battle. Even if she wasn't willing to stand around and keep up helping out in the battle until it was done, she wasn't a coward.

The woman didn't risk a look behind her as she began to go down the street, but she could hear electricity snapping. Soon, the sounds of that giant's laser and rockets began to peel out again, followed by more town-shaking collisions. It sounded like they were tearing apart the city battling each other. She wondered exactly how much would be left when a victor emerged…and if it would indeed be the big guy. If it wasn't, they were still in trouble. Krystea didn't honestly know where to go or what to do if Diablos wasn't defeated…and she began to grow afraid again, now that the immediate danger had passed, about what had become of Rude. What about the others? How were they doing against the monsters in the rest of the city? In addition to espers, there were still the other monsters in Diablos' army to worry about, even if Siren freed all the humans…

While still thinking about this…Krystea's train of thought was abruptly interrupted. Suddenly, a large, gray form shot out from a side street and into the middle of the road in front of her in a flash. It was so sudden that the woman immediately ground to a halt, nearly doubling over herself, and stared up ahead. It didn't take long for fresh fear to seize her again.

It was the monster dog with three heads. It too had to grind to a halt, sprawling out its paws and holding itself steady to keep from going all the way across the street. Its own claws dug into the pavement of the street to hold it in place as its heads bent closer to the ground. Yet that lasted only a second…before it relaxed and rose up to its full monstrous height. Its three heads turned toward Krystea soon after, and all three showed their teeth. Immediately, it orientated its body toward her and began to plod forward.

Krystea nearly went for her gun…only to remember it was gone. Instead…all she could do was back up. The two were soon focused on each other. So focused, in fact, that they didn't notice, over the other sounds surrounding them, the noise of a car engine firing up…

_"Looks like I finished wiping out that rabble of humans just in time."_ The monster's three heads growled. _"Diablos already sent the message to the rest of us who's the Cetra we need…and though I can't remember whatever name she gave herself, I can recognize a face easy enough…"_

The thing continued to advance. Krystea looked around herself, trying to find something she could use as a weapon. She had to find some way around this monster… As she did back up, an explosion ripped out from behind her…one that was especially close to their location. It wasn't enough to put either one in any danger, but it was rather loud, and it made her wince in response. The three-headed beast in front of her, however, continued to walk forward in the wake of it. It began to exit the intersection and move further down into the road where Krystea was located, effectively blocking off any side road she could have taken…

But then, abruptly, the beast's head that was on Krystea's right snapped to the side. An instant later, she found out why. As the eruption died down behind her, the sound of squealing tires and a revving engine rang out from the road alongside the intersection. A car was barreling straight for them. The head snapped back a second later, firing a crimson rocket of some sort off…but it was too late. Krystea looked and was just in time to see the rocket hit its target as it came barreling down the road into the intersection. It was some sort of police vehicle…at least, that's what she could get from it before the rocket hit the front of it, immediately igniting the front into flames. However, it was too late to stop its approach. It continued to shoot forward as the other heads turned, now in surprise. The mass of burning metal smashed into the side of the monster dog and proceeded to rip it off of its feet and carry it across the rest of the intersection. It only halted when it proceeded to smash two of the creature's heads into the corner of a building on the intersection's opposite side, hitting so hard that the brickwork fractured and a few stone fragments came toppling down on it. When it did, the monster slumped off of the front and fell to its side on the ground. It lay there a moment, obviously stunned.

Krystea blinked in surprise, and immediately turned to the driver's seat of the car. It was a bit hard to see who was there, what with the fire now covering the front of the vehicle. However, the driver immediately forced it open. After all, the vehicle was useless now. The impact into the three-headed beast had smashed the front of it, adding to the damage caused by the flames. Despite how much pain one might think a driver would have to be in after such a stunt, however, the person got out fairly easily and quickly forced himself to his feet. Krystea received a surprise.

"Rude!"

"Go!" The Turk immediately answered, for once raising his voice in a shout. His black gloved hand immediately swung out, indicating for her to run while she could.

It was good advice, she soon realized. Even while Rude emerged from the burning car to motion her on, the three-headed beast was already grunting and snarling, and getting its paws up and back underneath it again. No doubt…it wasn't happy about what had just happened to it. Krystea realized Rude was in deep trouble… Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to help him now. Regretful as she was about it, she did as she was told. The woman turned and looked around herself, and saw another outlet. Just to her right was a three story building. The alley was directly to her side between it and the next building, and there was a fire escape on it. Soon, she was bolting for it.

Krystea had no idea how long it would take for that monster to get to its feet, or if Rude could still hold it off with his bare hands once it got up. Therefore, she wanted to get up and out as soon as possible. The wreckage of the car now provided a barricade for her to keep going down the street, so she had to get around it first. Plus, she didn't know how good that dog's climbing skills were, but she had a feeling it could outrun her in a heartbeat on level pavement. She could survive a jump from a rooftop of a few stories easy enough, and so taking the "high road" seemed like a good idea for the moment to get further away from this location before dropping down again somewhere new.

The Turk reached the fire escape and quickly implemented her agility to leap up to the lowest rung. She managed to seize it, and then grit her teeth and tightened her muscles to force herself to pull up higher. It took a little bit, but she soon was pulling her body up onto the suspended ladder. The sounds of battle around her seemed to grow more intense, and she could only hope it wasn't coming from Rude and the monster. Her palms were a bit sweaty by now, so pulling herself up the rest of the way wasn't easy. Even after that, as she quickly began to run up the metal stairwell, she was getting rather out of breath from all of the fleeing she had been doing for the past hour. Nevertheless, she still managed to get to the top run and over the edge.

Sure enough, the roofs of Junon in this part of the city provided a line of nice flat surfaces in which to run across. The darkness that swirled overhead seemed to be growing more turbulent, and the lightning shocks running through it seemed to be picking up in frequency and intensity. It looked more like a horrible storm now. At this point, if there were any gargoyles in the air, she couldn't see them. Exhaling, Krystea prayed for the best and began to run across the rooftop toward the next nearest one.

Up here was a bit more dangerous, it soon became evident. In addition to the noise and sights of all of the blasts and attacks that were going on, the clash that raged behind her vented all of its cast off fury full force in the open. She nearly felt herself bowled over by some of the fighting, and it seemed to be getting louder, not quieter, to her as she struggled to get away from it. She had to pause for a moment for a lull before jumping across to the next nearest building. After that, however, she was able to keep going for a minute more…

Then she saw something that made her freeze again. Abruptly, red lights erupted in the sky in front of her…two of them. A moment later, and two more formed further down. Then another two, a bit closer. She soon realized what it was. As she felt herself growing fearful, she turned her head to look…and saw it in the distance, closing fast. The train monster. She could only really see its front light…but the putrid green color it sent, making her queasy even from here, was enough to confirm what it was. For a moment…she thought it might be passing by…that it hadn't seen her.

But the lights kept coming…and she soon saw that they were forming an arch that was coming around to her.

She didn't want to take the chance. Immediately, she broke off into a run again, this time ignoring all the blasts and chaos around her to the best of her ability. But there wasn't a human alive who could outrun a train. The torches continued to form and the thing continued to come closer. She managed to run forward enough to jump another rooftop, but unfortunately had to pause before she could clear this one as well. By the time she did get across, the arch was definitely nearing completion, and it was definitely headed for her. Moments later, the train creature passed in front of her at the higher point in the sky, right past where its torches had first formed. Although she wasn't in its path…just the act of passing suddenly struck her with nausea. Abruptly, she felt dizzy and weak, and found herself grinding to a halt from the sheer feeling of sickness. Her head swam, and her vision blurred. Unwillingly, her feet stopped moving, and she doubled over a moment, grasping her middle…

It took only a few seconds to pass, but as her vision cleared and she straightened herself up…she already saw that the torches were on either side of her. What more, over the din of battle, the sound of a train whistle, almost like some strange creature's voice, rang out. She could hear some sort of collection of organs and muscles making noises like a train engine. Still grasping her sides, she looked up and turned, and saw that the vehicle was finishing the arch…headed right for her…with no time to move…

Krystea winced, still unable to run, and figuring this was the end.

Yet as she exhaled in a final release…she noticed that her breath misted.

Soon, Krystea kept her arms around herself, but not from sickness. It was from cold. Abruptly, more mist formed in front of her. It rapidly thickened as well, condensing from mist into crystals, and then condensing from that as well. As the train closed the last few feet, the crystals made a collision and ringing sound as they fully came together and locked, forming a very large solid piece of ice right in front of the woman…a ramp.

A screech of fear and anger that sounded almost like train brakes went out…but it was too late. The train hit it at nearly full speed. It didn't run into Krystea, however. It hit the ramp, and was immediately launched into the air. The foul thing and all of its cars and length shot over the top of the Turk, and its cast off energy immediately struck her again, this time making her wobble so much that she couldn't stay standing. As her senses went to nausea again, she collapsed into a sitting position. She stayed there a moment, and as a result didn't see as the train creature spun and spiraled over itself, launched like a crazy missile, over the city for hundreds of feet before going back down to the ground and crashing into the streets below in a cacophony of noise and destruction.

Krystea's head swam longer this time after having just barely avoided the monster. However, as her senses slowly came to once again, she started to realize what had happened. She was seated on the roof now, half sprawled after having been swooned by the power of the attacker. She blinked a few times until her vision cleared, and slowly she detected the torches around her vanishing. What more, she also saw the source of the sudden feeling of coldness. A ramp of solid ice was right next to her. She blinked a few times, trying to put this together, trying to clear her head enough to figure out what had gone on… Had the ramp…diverted the train monster?

She didn't know, but she didn't have time to worry. She had to move. Groaning and dizzy, Krystea struggled to shake the cobwebs loose as she forced herself to rock forward, and then used the momentum to rise into a standing position. Once there, she forced her legs to start stumbling forward, struggling to get moving. Her vision continued to clear and her bearings continued to solidify, and she was nearly into a run again a moment later…

When a purple horror suddenly leapt out of the sky and landed on the roof on the building adjacent to her. It wasn't just his visual appearance that alerted Krystea, however. It was the fact that she felt a sudden gale of wind whip up…or rather down…from the heavens, almost like the beginnings of a tornado. With her still off balance, it nearly bowled her over again as it tugged at her loose suitcoat and clothing. She leaned over dangerously, but quickly got her feet stabilized under her and turned her head over to the source.

Krystea felt her stomach sink as she realized she was getting very popular. The purple one had joined in now. He wasn't wasting time bantering, either. His feathered crest was rising as he planted his irregular, multi-colored legs and braced his fists out. The opening into the sac on his shoulder was elevated, and a moment later it opened and began to draw in air…

The Turk didn't realize that, within moments, the monster would remove all air from its surroundings and cause her to pass out from asphyxiation. She did know enough to try and recoil and brace herself for another attack, but it wouldn't have been nearly enough. Fortunately for her…the guardian angel who averted the train hadn't left her side just yet.

As Krystea stared at the multicolored creature…a flash of shining blue suddenly landed in front of her. Krystea leapt back in surprise and stared at it. She recognized a scantly clad woman with one arm grasping her side and back, and the other made into a palm in front of her, aimed right at the purple monster. She also noticed how the air around her suddenly plunged about thirty degrees. Her brain clicked as she realized it was the figure from last night…the ice creature that had come to their aid.

Now, as she watched, the woman fired off a shower of crystals from her palm. They weren't large or dangerous. Rather, they simply looked like a large amount of small snowflakes, although larger than during a normal winter. At any rate, they didn't travel far. Immediately, their small size allowed them to be shot straight into the opening hole on the purple monstrosity, drawn in by his suction. When they did, the ice woman immediately generated twice as many, allowing those to be sucked in as well. Krystea watched for a moment, and soon realized that if she was intending to freeze the purple creature, she wasn't getting very far. The monster was simply inhaling every bit of frost she put out.

What Krystea didn't realize was that this was the esper's intention. It was producing ice fragments so tiny with the specific intention of being inhaled. The purple beast she faced might have had powerful lungs, but they were still lungs. And anyone who inhaled large amounts of bitterly frigid air could only do so for so long before their own pleura began to cool and harden, which would lead to the inevitable…

It took a few seconds…but the purple monster's orb-like eyes seemed to suddenly shrink and wince. Abruptly, the thing, with its air sac only slightly full, turned and looked to the ground, and then gave out something that resembled five shotgun blasts together and looked like a mortar shell was fired out of his mouth to blast a large crater into the roof. What Krystea didn't realize was that this was, in fact, the monster coughing, struggling to warm up its lungs enough to breathe and operate normally again after being chilled. It soon coughed again, blasting concrete and plaster everywhere, and as a result Krystea actually leapt back a little in surprise. It did so a third time, blasting even more as it staggered.

Here, the ice woman suddenly turned around to her. Krystea nearly leapt back again, not only from how sudden it was, not only from the woman abruptly glaring at her with an absolutely cold and rigid stare, but from the fact that she almost looked…human…

"Run now! You're all that matters here!" The ice woman urged. "I can't hold all three of them off!"

Krystea was immobilized a moment longer, still surprised at the woman actually talking to her. However, she shook that idea free from her mind soon enough. She realized a desperate, struggling person when she saw one, and she realized that this esper was indeed buying her time. Not only that, but she really was injured from last night, and yet she was still struggling to fight off these other monsters. She realized she didn't like abandoning the creature, at the end of everything. Yet she knew what she had to do regardless.

In the end, Krystea swallowed and tightened up again.

"…Thank you, whoever you are."

After that, the woman turned and continued to run to the next rooftop.

* * *

Alexander writhed in the path of the black energy as it swept over him. Even he couldn't shrug off the power of Diablos' attack as the demon, face filled with malice and madness, let endless bolts of energy rain from his fingertips and cover the beast. He summoned more and more every moment, intent on covering the giant's entire body with black bolts, penetrating every crevasse and square inch of his body. Foul black smoke arose from the blasts as Diablos laughed in delight, figuring that the fight was over now. Alexander's own white light faded and came back on several times as the attack continued to widen.

_"Wither into nothingness!"_ Diablos howled. _"Rust, rot, and be no more!"_

The colossus continued to stagger for a moment…before finally planting its tower-like legs and aiming its batteries at the demon again. To do so required every fiber of its being to oppose the will of Diablos' dark energy to wither and die, for the beams tried desperately to crush the life within the construct. Yet it forced itself to keep moving, and soon it was planted again. A moment later, it forced the slit in its head to open and fired off a laser through the beams straight for the source.

Useless. The bats swarming him, not missing a beat, immediately condensed in front of him and made a shield. The laser struck them and incinerated some…but the thing itself was never hit. New bats immediately came out to replace the ones lost.

That option having failed, Alexander next charged his rockets. A moment later, and another salvo of holy power rushed out from his shoulders and sailed for the demon from two dozen angles. Diablos merely cackled at this…as twice as many new bolts of energy came out from the initial ones and struck each rocket. Within a second, each one was detonated harmlessly far away from the main bulk of the demon.

"You're helpless and defenseless against my true power, fool!" Diablos mocked. _"Now die!"_

Immediately…each bolt doubled in size, and quickly broke into enough branches to completely swarm Alexander. The construct went rigid again, stiffening and going erect as its movement erased. Now, the edges of his armor began to flake and turn brittle. The various plates began to curl up on the sides, like some sort of burning leaf. The white power within flickered more frequently. Diablos laughed endlessly during all this, figuring that he had only now to wait until Alexander was completely destroyed…that he truly was unstoppable now.

But then…the light abruptly ignited into full glory within Alexander again. Diablos' laughing broke off, and instead he gave a puzzled sneer. That sneer soon turned into surprise as, quite abruptly, he felt a counter current in his black electricity bolts…as if Alexander was now letting himself be fried. More than that, it was as if Alexander was now anchoring Diablos to him through the bolts. And when that happened…the colossus moved.

A deafening roar suddenly burst out as the thrusters of the construct fired with incredible force. The ground, sewers, and everything else beneath and around Alexander was immediately shattered into billions of fragments as the colossus fired off his main mode of locomotion again. The massive bulk shot into the air, belching clouds of smoke and holy light beneath it. Diablos hissed and winced at the light as black energy continued to shoot from his fingertips. He turned away for a moment from it as the rush of smoke and energy from the shockwave poured by him. He continued to hold back as it threatened to knock him and his bats out of the sky. However, he flapped his own wings to counter and managed to hold his position, keeping himself in midair, angrily growling through all of it.

Yet as he hovered there…he did notice something. The holy light from Alexander stayed in front of him for a moment, but then shifted. It seemed to become dimmer and reposition. What more, Diablos felt his hands being pulled, as if Alexander was yanking the energy tethers that held him. Realizing this, the fiend opened his eyes again.

The serpentine pupils narrowed.

Alexander was now hovering in midair right over the demon.

Diablos gave out a cry of shock as his horrible features turned from wickedness to terror. He struggled to break off the energy, to move, to get away from this. But it was too late. Alexander let the rockets die a second later. He didn't entirely quiet them…just enough to let them fall. But he kept them blazing…so that as he crashed down into Diablos he bombarded him with waves of holy energy before ripping him, his bats, and his energy out of the sky and flung him to the pavement, where the whole of his several tons of weight was crushed down upon him.

The surrounding buildings were bowled over like ten pins. They fractured completely at the base as a tremendous shockwave, filled with dust and debris, ripped out through the city. Alexander punched deep into the surface of Gaia, pounding himself, Diablos, and whatever was beneath the demon a good fifty feet deeper into the ground. Water burst forth from pipes around the side, and seawater gushed out from where the land pushed down over it to cause it to surge forth in pressure. The quake that resulted caused everyone to freeze and look for a moment. And at that time…the nearest bands of Sahagin and gargoyles squealed, turned, and fled for it, not wanting to stay around this colossus or his power even if their new master could defeat him. But there was no doubt that the one that felt the greatest pain was Diablos himself as he was crushed underneath tons of metal and clockwork.

The rumbling was still settling as Alexander shifted his legs out and braced himself again. The construct showed no signs of biological exhaustion…but the edges of its armor plates continued to smolder and warp as foul black smoke continued to rise from it. But Alexander paid no attention to this. He only prepared for further assault. His head laser stayed open and prepped, and his batteries prepared for more firepower. He didn't move off of Diablos. Rather, he continued to rest in the crater he had pounded into the ground and let his holy energy flow out of his thrusters to whatever was beneath.

The quake slowly died down. Even so, it was another thirty seconds before anyone in the city thought of getting back to their battles. They were too focused on Alexander, wondering what the giant would do next. Yet when they did start turning back to their own conflicts, Diablos still hadn't arisen again. Alexander, ever the guardian, continued to hold his position and wait. He stayed on with infinite patience, knowing Diablos would try something soon, and determined to be prepared for it. The sounds of battle far away began to rise again, but the rest of the quake vanished, and all was still around the cleared blocks where Alexander was.

Then…the sound came.

It was impossible to describe. It sounded like a thousand twisted, warped animals, each one savage and bloodthirsty, making a terrible roar or noise…like some sort of infernal demon from the pits of Hell. That, in fact, probably wasn't that far from the truth…but it rang out with such power and resonance, not to mention such terrible, inhuman, unnatural sounds, that it caused many to freeze again in terror as it burst out. One thing was clear. It was a sound of absolute, total, unequivocal, unbridled _hate._ As if all the depths of human hatred that could be found in hundreds of wretched souls came out all as one.

And Diablos came out with it.

The black monster, so shrouded in its own death that stone turned to dust and metal rusted into flakes around it as it came, burst forth from the ground a hundred feet in front of Alexander. The blood seemed to be surging through its black ebony wings, and the black energy enveloped it like a twisted static electricity ball. Now, a small beam connected all of the bats that swarmed around it to the main source of their evil. They seemed to shroud the demon in even more shadow. From the depths of the charged cloud, one could only see the hate-stricken yellow eyes of the infernal beast…glaring at Alexander. However, if one could see beyond that, they might notice a single streak of black and red thick fluid rolling off of its brow.

The attack of Alexander had only drawn that much blood.

Yet Diablos didn't hesitate. While still making that ungodly sound and finishing ripping from the earth, it raised its palms in front of it again. Two _massive_ balls of energy ripped out from them and immediately blazed toward the giant with inconceivable speed. Streaks of darkness were left behind it from how fast they moved, not to mention the lifelessness and stagnance that they left the air filled with. They sizzled with black electricity and rippled with burning dark purple energy. They moved as fast as Alexander's laser if not faster. The giant, motile as he was, was simply too large to dodge them. He struggled to twist his body, and did manage to barely let one slice by him. It went out into the ocean, where, on striking it, it immediately turned a cubic kilometer of seawater into an anoxic, lifeless, dead zone.

The other orb struck one of Alexander's shoulder launchers.

A massive eruption went off, nearly knocking Alexander onto his side. He staggered as black thunder and lightning shot out from the wound. Burning smoky fragments, like the top of a volcano, burst forth from the weapon as bits of armor, covered in black flames, immediately withered into nothingness as they erupted from the impact point. The black electricity continued to snake and sizzle from the site as the smoke faded, as if Diablos had covered it with his own dark brand of poison as well as damage. The area around the launcher twisted and deformed, turning to rust and slag from the dark power of the hit. It seemed to almost make the corresponding limb of Alexander numb, for soon that arm went rigid and stayed posted in the ground, while the colossus slumped slightly against the other arm.

Diablos wasn't satisfied this time. Giving that same horrible roar again, the demon shot off to Alexander again. No shield this time. No protective bats. The swarm continued to travel with him, but he simply tightened his muscles as his eyes filled with violent rage. His face deformed in hate to make him look twice as terrible, and with his fist cocked back he sailed straight for the face of Alexander, looking ready to punch his entire head off with one strike. The demon closed the distance in a heartbeat, and soon passed over the front of Alexander's torso as his eyes zeroed right in on his "head"…

When…most suddenly, Diablos didn't see Alexander's face at all.

He saw a reflection of his own.

Diablos froze in midair. But no sooner had he done so than he suddenly went rigid. His face, twisted with hate, suddenly turned into one of surprise. His arms drew back, but soon petrified. Abruptly, he began to make a sort of gagging noise, or one of struggling. His eyes widened. The bats that swarmed around him abruptly froze as well…and the ones nearest to the reflection began to drift toward it.

As for the reflection itself, it was coming from a mirror…a small one being held in the hands of a young man shaking like a leaf. He was pale as a sheet and barely able to hold steady on the very top of Alexander, standing on his main bulk right in front of his head. On his shoulder rested a green creature with large ears and a ruby in its brow.

Rex and Carbuncle had arrived.

"H-H-Here…?!" Rex stammered as he held the magical lamp open in front of him. From this distance, he could feel his fingers go cold and numb the moment he was teleported into Diablos' presence. Yet that lasted only a moment. Whatever force was doing it was soon drawn straight into the lamp. Now…he was merely intimidated and struggling not to pass out from the sight of a giant, muscular, terrifying demon hovering right in front of him. The only reason he hadn't dropped the lamp and fled in terror right off of the edge of Alexander and to his death was because he was immobilized by the soul-freezing terror Diablos envoked.

"Where else was I supposed to teleport us?" Carbuncle defended…his own voice unsteady and shaky as he stared on at Diablos. His small black eyes were frozen in position on him. He wouldn't admit it…but he was scared out of his wits. He could actually detect the unbridled power pouring off of the fiend as well as be intimidated by his presence. Still, he stood his ground along with his human companion.

Out of all the reckless things that Carbuncle had ever done, this was probably the worst. He had no sooner brought Rex and the magical lamp to Junon when he noticed that Alexander and Diablos were already going at it. The esper knew enough from Leviathan to know that the only way to trap Diablos in it would be if he was to actually look at his reflection in the lamp. So, he logically figured the best way to accomplish this would be to put the lamp right in front of him to a point where he couldn't look away. Unfortunately, since he was hard to follow visually and flying…there was only one place that Carbuncle could see made sense: on top of Alexander right prior to taking a hit.

However, at the moment, it seemed to be a good thing. They caught the demon perfectly off guard, and there was no way he had missed the lamp. Now he already seemed powerless to look away from it, and it was gathering the black bats to it already as the beginnings of his cast off energy. Slowly, both Rex and Carbuncle realized it was working.

"We got him!" The green esper yelled. "Just hold on until he's stuck in there!"

Rex continued to quiver, but forced his hands to stay still and held. The bats continued to get closer. Some of them were nearly touching the object itself. The young man wondered if they'd be "sucked in" or what would happen if they touched it, but began to slowly realize that they did have him…

That was until, like the crack of a whip, Diablos' tail coiled around and snapped across Rex's hands, knocking the magical lamp clear out of his grasp, sending it flying about three hundred yards, and letting it fall into a pile of rubble far below.

Both Rex and Carbuncle were petrified with shock and terror. The world seemed to have stopped for a moment. They could swear that everything went so silent that they could hear only the wind blowing and the faint sound of the magical lamp landing in the midst of the ruined portion of the city. Their own hearts seemed to freeze. They couldn't breathe. They could only stand in abject horror, totally immobile, as they saw their chance of victory immediately and impossibly vanish into thin air.

Slowly, their hearts began to beat again…going from slow moving into a panicked rush within seconds…as they saw Diablos slowly break form and begin to move again as his face turned from shock to black hate once again.

"That was…the most _foolish_ thing…you two have ever done in your soon-to-be-cut-violently-short lives…" He seethed in such a black voice that each syllable seemed to coagulate the blood in their veins.

The two couldn't move. They were frozen. They only felt greater and greater soul-freezing terror as Diablos began to crackle with black energy again. His bats swirled around him angrily as his palms opened and began to charge energy once more, forming deadly black orbs in them. But even before it hit…Rex could already feel a numbness traveling through his body…seeming to rot away at his flesh…spreading to cover him…

Then, it happened.

Abruptly, Rex and Carbuncle found themselves incased in a pure white sphere. The feelings of rot and decay were banished as their bleak view of Diablos came only through the filtered look of white, translucent energy enveloping them. The two were freed from their petrifying fear, and immediately snapped back a bit in surprise. And not just them. Diablos himself suddenly hesitated moments before he raised his palm to fire, his face turning to puzzlement once again. However, it was Rex and Carbuncle who turned around and managed to see what had happened.

Alexander had moved again. His head laser had fired once more, and was still firing. But rather than destroy anything, it was projecting a kind of sphere around the two smaller individuals, protecting them from Diablos' wrath.

Yet it only stayed that way for a minute. Rex suddenly gave a yelp and fell down, only to land on the solid floor of the pure sphere, as he and Carbuncle were yanked into the air by the power of the holy beam, suspended by Alexander's laser. This was only to take them into the air and out of the path of the colossus, however, who moved quickly to shift his body so that his remaining good shoulder was now aimed point blank in front of Diablos.

A moment later, and a sound of crystalline thunder, if such a thing existed, ripped out as the shoulder guard did not fire rockets but rather channeled the power from the missing shoulder guard to fire a concentrated series of multiple focused holy beams. The result was a massive cannon of holy light, which instantly blasted the surprised Diablos and enveloped him in their light. With titanic force, the demon was ripped out of the sky and forced to the ground at a sharp angle. Yet as soon as he was there, the beam continued to dig into him, punching him into the ground again. Alexander angled up, and proceeded to rake Diablos' body through the street as he continued to fill him with holy light, ripping up a trench of stone and pavement as he forced him farther away and deeper into the city.

As he blasted him, the head laser continued to work. It gently carried the orb through the air and then back down to a reasonably untouched area of ground. Only once both of them were set on terra firma did it release, cutting off the laser. As soon as it vanished, the surprised Rex, still stunned at all that had just happened, fell back onto his rear end once more, taking Carbuncle with him. However, the pale green creature leapt off at just the last moment and touched down on the pavement himself.

Alexander twisted his beam carrying Diablos, and began to move again. His injured limb had recovered from the numbing jolt again, and he proceeded to shift his massive, seemingly impenetrable body in between the two and where he was sending the fiend. Carbuncle immediately looked up and stared in awe, for even to an esper Alexander was an awesome sight in action. Rex, quivering all over, nevertheless managed to push himself up and wobbly get to his feet. Both were soon standing in the shadow of the giant. A moment later, and the shoulder beam finally cut off. With that done, Alexander shifted his posture to direct his full force and attention toward the fallen demon.

A single powerful word blared through the cores of their beings.

**Go.**

"Aah!" Rex cried out in shock as he staggered back from the source of the voice.

Carbuncle blinked. "You're talking to me? The greatest esper ever is actually talking to me?"

**You must find that object. **Alexander answered, very calm…as if it was not only giving solid directions but was trying to calm them down to listen. **Diablos has grown too powerful to be fully ensnared by it. He will break away again if you attempt to imprison him. I know now that I cannot defeat him. However…I will give my life to weaken him enough so that he will not be able to resist it the next time you attempt to use it on him.**

Both Rex and Carbuncle slowed down and listened again as Alexander continued, gradually calming down enough to take this in. However, as he kept speaking, both of them were rather shocked by the time he finished, and were growing fearful at what he had just said. They both began to pale again as their eyes widened.

"You mean…you can't stop him?!" Rex nearly yelped.

Alexander didn't answer this. Instead, he began to lumber forward again, moving toward where he had sent Diablos.

**Search quickly…for I am nearly at my limit.**

That last chilling note seemed to freeze their souls. Rex and Carbuncle looked to one another, both of them rather stunned and fearful now. Leviathan had mentioned the possibility that Alexander would not be able to defeat Diablos…but they had just seen that there was no guarantee that the magical lamp would work even if they could get close enough to use it. As a result, both of them started to realize that there was a chance that despite all of their work they still wouldn't be able to stop him. Even if Alexander did spend all his power on Diablos…he could still have enough raw energy to resist the lamp and destroy them all. What hope they seemed to have gathered to themselves was quickly fading…

They stayed staring at each other with fearful, uncertain looks for a few moments more. Carbuncle was the one who finally snapped out of it, becoming somewhat regular again, and gave a sharp nod.

"Right. You heard the man, Rex. Go look for that thingee."

With that, the pale green esper began to turn toward the front of the city, where the battle was going on. Rex's jaw dropped and he immediately stepped forward.

"Hey wait! Where are you going?"

The green esper paused for a moment to turn back. "We're going to need some more sets of eyes if we want to find that thing in time. And we may need everyone's power if we're going to make him weak enough to catch him. It's time we evened the playing field against these rogue espers…"

* * *

The golden bird flew too close. One could hardly blame it. At this point, it had to be getting tired and weak from having been stabbed by so many needles already. At any rate, the Gigantuar definitely wasn't tired out yet, and greeted it as it came around by altering its position with lightning speed, swinging its massive green limb around, and proceeding to give a mighty slap to the electric creature. The creature immediately went limp, and was flung violently out of the sky into the wreckage of the nearest needle coated building. On smashing against the brickwork on the side, it sprawled out against it for a moment before peeling off like a dead leaf and fell to the ground. It landed a second later and went motionless. It likely wasn't dead, but it was probably unconscious, or at least too battered to keep fighting.

The Gigantuar then proceeded to orientate itself toward the barricade. On seeing this, Reno frowned and immediately slumped down behind it, back next to Elena and another frightened officer. He turned to the former.

"Guess that's it for the air support."

Elena could only grimace in response, but that was still better than the situation around the others gathered with them. Whatever had happened a few minutes ago before the fight between the two "big guys" started deeper in the city, it had leveled the playing field somewhat. Now, hoards of Diablos' army lay motionless, unconscious, and mostly nude in the streets. But that still left the rest of his less conventional forces, and it did nothing to stop his big espers from continuing to beat up on all the surrounding opposition. That included the monstrous Cactuar. These ones were enough to force what shreds and scraps of remaining officers and defenders were left into small areas, priming them to be crushed easily. Reno and Elena had never been able to reach the rendezvous…not that it seemed to matter since they were pretty sure the giant machine had crushed the rendezvous and the surrounding buildings about four minutes ago at this point. So they were now stuck here.

About seven officers who were all running dry on ammunition were huddled with them. As far as Reno knew, this was the largest group of them left. They had one final surviving barricade that had been co-opted. Currently, they were taking refuge near the metal girder skeleton of a new four-story factory under construction. Bags of gravel and cement had been hastily piled up to provide some shelter from the worst of the firepower. However, Reno had doubts that it would be able to survive a frontal assault against the big green monster. And now, without the lightning bird distracting it, there was nothing left to keep its attention away from focusing its full force on wiping their small group out.

"What exactly do we have left?" Reno asked his female companion.

Elena frowned as she held up her gun. "I haven't tried materia yet…not that it matters. Fire doesn't work on these things. I got about a clip…but I don't think it's taken much damage. Guys around us have one rifle with about four bullets…shotguns with about two dozen…no explosives left." She sighed. "Seems like building some bombs would have been a good idea at this point…"

Reno merely raised his prod and adjusted it to full power. "Little late for regrets now. Best not to dwell on past mistakes."

Elena turned to him incredulously. "…Are you going to go out there and actually attack that thing up close?"

"Well, we either die here when its needles rip through the barricade and slice us to ribbons, or we can die out there when its needles slice us to ribbons but while we're attempting to inflict some pain on it." Reno answered with a shrug. "I think our little well of miracles has run dry."

Elena grimaced at the thought even as the ground began to shake from the massive Cactuar tearing it up from sliding over to them. Her brow was sweaty and it was obvious that she was nervous about this whole thing. After all, Elena had never quite gotten over her fear of death. Reno was different, but he didn't think too little of her for that. It made things more fun and exciting, after all. And this was about as exciting as it could get. If you didn't get a rise out of this, then a part of you was probably dead inside…and that was never a good sensation.

The sliding stopped a moment later. A few seconds afterward, and the tell-tale sound of crunching wet celery went out as the Turks knew that the monster was repositioning its limbs to fire a deluge of needles. The officers mostly tightened up in fear. Two brave ones, coated with sweat and panting, clutched their weapons and got ready to move. Reno gave them a smile as he cracked his own neck and held on tight. Elena herself exhaled and inhaled rapidly a few times to try and stabilize herself as she leaned back and grit her teeth. Both looked directly behind them to the girder skeleton and prepared for their final attack…

But they didn't move. Something caught their attention.

As they watched the metal framework behind them, they noticed something was there. A thick length of aquamarine tentacles suddenly shot through one opening and into the mix. Before they could follow this to where it had gone, another length of tentacles went by in a different spot. Then a third in another spot, as if some very long snake or creature was moving through the works. The Gigantuar continued to make its crunching noises, indifferent to this, but Reno and Elena were fixated on this new item. As it continued to whip through and wind around the various openings in the metal construction, the other officers paused and looked up as well, seeing this strange new sight and, despite the fear of death, turning their attention to it momentarily.

Finally, the first length of scales began to pull along, revealing an aquamarine serpent's tail that trailed behind. It soon began to trail the other lengths, but before it could…the head of the beast suddenly rose right over them. The officers and Elena cried out in surprise and flushed themselves to the ground in shock, and even Reno's head leaned back as he felt himself issue a "whoa". A great beaked sea serpent, like something out of the old myths of "Great Leviathan", suddenly emerged from the construction over them. It had burning yellow eyes, a sharp crest covering its head, and long tentacle-like whiskers flapping about. Its fins on the sides of its head were iridescent and immediately began to flex and fan out.

This was mostly all that anyone saw as the creature seemed to thicken by pulling the rest of its length back to it, for they were too stunned to look at anything else. However, Reno was the only one with enough presence of mind to look along it. Only now, when it stopped moving part of its body, did Reno note that parts of its sleek, aquamarine body were dotted with black marks and ruined, rotten scales. Something had given the creature a violent beating. In fact, as he kept staring at it, he soon noticed that it moved in ways that showed exhaustion and pain. Its face almost seemed to be strained in that manner.

However, despite all this, it took only moments for the thing to bend its head back, and then snap forward again with a sharp, sonic cry…like something that might have been a whale song underneath the waves but above the water was very piercing and unworldly. Now everyone, Reno included, winced and pulled back on hearing it. The Gigantuar itself halted its own attack and looked up at this, seeming to notice the sea serpent in front of it as well.

Yet its appearance was nothing compared to what happened next. Seemingly out of nowhere, whether it was drained from the sea, condensed from air moisture, or suddenly created by the beast…a _gigantic_ wall of water, at least a hundred feet high and countless yards thick, ripped over the top of their heads and surged at the Gigantuar in a titanic deluge. Hundreds of tons of material roared forward at a hundred miles an hour and proceeded to slam into the giant green creature with force that would have obliterated any normal man. But for Reno, Elena, and the officers…all they experienced was more awe at the raw power as well as a cool sensation, for somehow the titanic wave road on the _air_. It sailed harmlessly off the ground the precious few feet it needed to clear the people and their barricade, seeming to ride on invisible ground so that they were totally missed. Yet there was no missing seeing the millions of gallons of water rush over their heads, nor missing hearing it slam into the Gigantuar with inconceivable force. It was a sight to behold indeed.

It lasted for a few seconds before the water literally seemed to "run out". The last bits of it finished roaring by as if a reservoir somewhere was emptying the last of it. Beyond that, the sky, the ruined city, and the image of the great sea serpent were left behind. However, the serpent itself let out some sort of shrill noise that sounded like a sigh, before its whiskers faltered limply to the sides of its head. It leaned forward, nearly breaking its huge beak down on the huddled humans. This caused some of them to cry out and scramble back, but Reno held his ground. He was right. The thing was exhausted. It was barely able to keep its head from crashing against the earth. What it had just done must have sapped more of its reserves.

Elena continued to stare at the creature along with the others, more stunned at its arrival and display of power than anything else. However, Reno was able to turn his head and look back to the main reason as to why they were stuck there in the first place, wanting to see how it had fared.

The Gigantuar itself had been blasted back about fifty feet. There were signs on the ground from where it had tried to hold steady, but to no avail. Beyond that, the creature was soaked. It was dripping with water from every orifice. If that wasn't enough, it looked a much darker green color, and seemed even a few feet larger than before. Despite that, there was no other damage. Reno did note one other thing… The electrical bird was struggling to get up, albeit slowly, but seemed totally unhurt. Apparently, they weren't the only ones protected from the attack.

Elena was next to peek her head up over the barricade, and after only risking the height of her nose for a quick look around, she finished getting up the rest of the way to Reno's level and looked as well. The other officers slowly began to get enough bearings to try moving, but that was about it. They gradually looked to the Turks instead for news. After a moment, however, Elena's jaw dropped as she let out a groan at the sight of the Gigantuar.

"Terrific! It's even bigger than before!"

"Now's your chance…"

Elena went white as a sheet and gave a cry out as she spun around back to the sea serpent. The other officers shrank back about three feet, and the brave ones aimed their weapons at the aquamarine creature. Reno alone turned his head more normally behind himself back to the giant beast. Its eyes were only half open, and it seemed out of breath and motionless. However, there was little doubt that the rather loud voice they had just heard, with a hint of a shrill undertone in it, had come from him.

Reno stared a bit longer before he understood. He turned back to the Gigantuar afterward and noticed what confirmed it. The huge thing had barely moved an inch. Of course…water. That deluge may have not hurt it visibly, but the sea serpent had completely soaked it, filling it so full of water that it now couldn't move an inch. The creature must have been one of the "good" espers…and he was giving them a chance to work.

The others stayed stunned and staring at the sea serpent a bit longer. However, Reno merely cracked a smile as he aimed his prod at the Gigantuar.

"Alright everyone…" Reno called out, causing them to snap to him instead. "You heard the man…snake…fish…thing. Let's let this overgrown aloe plant have it."

Immediately, he began to fire off bolts of electricity at it. Even from a distance, he was still able to hit the mark with them. And this time, there was no movement that the Gigantuar could make. There were slight signs of struggling to turn or evade it, but they were useless. The bolts each hit the mark, and in their wake came a few singed prickles and areas of blackened green plant flesh.

The others froze a bit longer, but not for too long. Slowly they began to realize the same thing Reno had. This esper was on their side, and had given them a chance to attack the green monster. When that happened, Elena, gritting her own teeth, raised again, aimed her gun at the creature, and fired away. Soon after, the brave officers came out and began to fire as well, and after them came the others. They all were soon unloading on the Gigantuar.

It might as well have been an army of bees attacking a beached whale. It was almost humorous to Reno how their "big moment" was made so pathetic. Each shot sent an eruption of greenish pulp and fluid from the bulk of the creature, but against something so huge there was little that any of their weapons could do. The Gigantuar continued to struggle to try and dodge as they fired on it, taking out more pieces of it as they did so, but was unable to do so. Nevertheless, Reno noticed that it slowly grew more motile as they continued to blast it. Somehow, it was shedding the water it had been forced to take in, and was getting its speed back. The humans concentrated their fire and opened a pretty widespread wound across the front of its torso, but all they managed for it was shallow damage.

Slowly, they each ran out of ammunition. And by the time they were done, the Gigantuar was still moving and gaining in speed. He didn't even seem to be injured enough to have a handicap. Reno was the only one firing at the end when they others ran out. Elena risked a few shots from her fire materia, but even if they could do any damage, it didn't matter. The water that oozed from the giant plant creature was enough to douse any flames without its natural magic resistance. Soon, she growled and plopped back down as well, turning back to Reno.

"So much for that… Again, we should have made explosives."

Reno cut off his own firepower a moment later and pulled his prod back. The Gigantuar continued to loosen up. However, he only cracked a smile.

"Elena…two things. One, I told you not to dwell on the past." He simply answered. "As for the other…remember how you asked me why I crammed such an incredibly high-power generator into this thing when no target we ran into would ever need that much capacity for generating electricity?"

The woman's annoyance turned into confusion at this, and she stared at Reno with a puzzled expression. Reno, on the other hand, merely closed one eye and took careful aim at a "shoulder joint" on the great green monster. After quickly calculating its current ability to dodge, distance, and all other essentials in ballistic physics, he pulled his arm back and cast in forward with a snap like an ancient spear thrower. In a perfectly straight movement, the end of the prod, still activated to full, sailed through the air like a deadly lance and proceeded to impact straight into the point of junction between the creature's right arm and the rest of its body, sinking in a full foot.

Now…the Gigantuar was in true pain. It might have had a resistance to electricity, but that was when its entire body wasn't saturated with solute-containing water. It had shrugged off all of Quetzacoatl's individual bolts, but now it had to deal with a sustained, powerful blast being magnified throughout its entire body. And at full power, Reno's prod could do better than even a Thundaga spell. Electricity crackled and snapped throughout the entire figure of the Gigantuar as the generator within the prod pumped out full voltage through the entire creature in one continuous stream of power. It continued to make movements, but now they were in an attempt to avoid pain and agony rather than to get free. The creature seemed to struggle and writhe as much as its power would allow as it was coated with light blue bolts. Smoke and burn marks began to cover it as portions of the creature's flesh began to blacken and char, giving off the scent of roast cactus as it continued. The worst of this all happened right in the area around the prod itself, which continued to blacken and wilt as time went on…

Yet the worst happened only when the prod finally overheated and overloaded. As the prod continued to electrify the creature, the generator within it finally went over its mark. It too began to fizzle and smoke, and eventually started to glow red as the resistors and current lines got too hot from the sustained electricity. Finally, it was too much all together for the device. With one final fizzle, it gave out completely and had its last action be to go up in a rather large explosion. Unfortunately for the Gigantuar…it was still well embedded in it when it went off.

The people at the barricade shrank back a bit as they saw the prod explode, for even given its size and distance it was still rather large. However, they were still able to watch as they saw one last cloud of electricity go off. A thick cloud of black smoke was added to the plumes already in the air as the Gigantuar reeled back from the force of the blast. Yet even as it went back, the people heard one other noise. Again, it sounded like wet celery breaking, and it seemed for a moment as if the massive creature was still going to fire. On listening a bit longer, however, one could tell that it was slightly different from before…and the clearing smoke revealed what exactly.

Where the prod had been in the Gigantuar's "shoulder" was now just a massive crater of missing green plant flesh, and beneath it the juices and fluids flowed rapidly from the new wound. What was causing the noise, however, was that the main arm was now too heavy. As the creature writhed slowly, the huddled mass saw its right arm very slowly fall down via the force of gravity until it fully ripped itself clear of the rest of the body. The massive green appendage snapped off all together and crashed to the ground with a loud thud a moment later. The wound around its joint was soon opened even larger and wider than before, and gave forth even more fluid.

The irony now was that between the frying and the bleeding the Gigantuar seemed to be fully motile again at last. The creature didn't attack immediately, though, and that seemed to be rather far from its mind. Rather, it staggered about, seeming to focus more now on its grievous injuries. Truth be told, it could have probably kept fighting and managed a win at this point. However, it had little idea of how much power the sea serpent might have left, nor if any more of those devices were among the humans it was battling. In any event, it would continue to be in agony for a long time to come if it kept fighting.

As a result, the creature looked back to the barricade for a few moments more, continuing to stagger in its own pain. Then it reached a decision. Giving out some sort of squeaking noise, similar to what smaller members of its species might have done, it swirled about (much slower than normal) so that its back was to the barricade. Then, with one final squeak, as if it was throwing a curse behind its back, the ground began to shake violently once again. The people huddled behind the barricade soon found themselves holding on as the pavement beneath them once again trembled and threatened to knock them down. While it did so, they saw the massive Gigantuar plow its feet into the ground beneath it, and slowly its huge body started to sink back into the ground once again. By now, the electrical bird was alert enough to watch this as well, but it didn't give chase. It merely stared with the others as the green creature seeped completely into the surface of Gaia, leaving only its three needle hairs standing once again. Once that was done, the needles moved…back down the road and for the exit of the city. The rumbling continued as it carried this out, but it quickly died off once again as the creature left the area. Soon it had vanished, leaving only its severed cactus limb behind as testimony to it ever being there.

The others hesitated fearfully, figuring that it was trying to come around again or planning something else. Reno, however, stayed calm and cracked a smile. Even with something as expressionless as a Cactuar, he could tell when something figured it had bit off more than it could chew and "couldn't stand the heat". That big green monster might not be dead, but it was done for the day. It was running off to lick its wounds and try to get over its injury, and apparently it wasn't scared enough of Diablos to risk death fighting.

The Turk turned to Elena, just as she started to get up and seemed to realize this fact as well. When she did, Reno simply cracked his neck.

"Well…now you know."

Elena turned to him, and could only stare back in response for a few moments as she tried to wrap her head around the fact that they had just won. However, this in itself lasted only a moment. Another rumbling began to go out, albeit a much smaller one, that turned their attention as well as those of the surrounding ones to a new source. As they looked, they saw the great sea serpent, still weak in appearance and seeming very tired, simply turn its head back toward the direction of the construction skeleton and then begin to move that way, dragging its body behind it as it moved away. The officers stayed frozen as it left, but Reno and Elena stared at it with a bit more intrigue.

Reno frowned at it. "Yeah…don't bother thanking us or anything."

Elena turned to him with a shrug. "You know…we kind of owe _it_."

Reno waved that off. "We did all the actual pain dealing, from what I see. But I guess it's got the right idea. No time to take a breather. One down…but we got at least a half dozen to go…"

* * *

_To be continued..._


	33. Changing Colors

"What are you doing?"

Marlene looked up from her work briefly back to Denzel. She gave a shrug. "We could use some more light in here…and I'm sick of these torches. It almost seems like they make the place colder and darker…"

Denzel could hardly argue with that. In fact, now that Marlene had brought that idea to mind, he reasoned that it sounded pretty good. A nice "natural" source of light. He nodded. "Alright."

After that, both teenagers turned back to their work. Denzel grit his teeth as he forced his sword forward into the crack in the last sarcophagus, what he assumed had to be Mr. Ragnar's. As soon as he had it in and began to force at it, he had to admit that Marlene was probably right. It _would_ be ruined after all this. He already thought he could see the end bending from all of the stress he had put it under. At any rate, he managed to push it in enough to break the airtight seal once again, and lift the heavy stone lid off partially. After that, he put it to one side, placed his arms against it, grit his teeth, and began to push. It was a good thing that he was stronger than most average adults, or this would probably be impossible. As it was, without Marlene's help, he just barely managed to start budging it off the top. It wasn't helping that his fingers felt ice cold at this point, both from the "heat loss" effect as well as the coolness of the chamber.

Denzel looked back into the area as he went about this. The two smaller sarcophagi were both open. They had been easy compared to this one, due to being smaller than the others. The coffins had been made up just like Aerith's, to look like ancient figures of Samoa and Simoa. Both of them were on the ground at the moment, still mummified but at least out of their caskets. Denzel had decided it was better to get them all out first before he started unwrapping them after he had finished with Aerith.

As for Mrs. Aerith herself, she lay on a disheveled pile of wrappings nearby. She was still dressed as she had been when she transformed into the Sorceress, although her wings were gone as well as the other effects. But other than that, she was still quite pale and limp. Denzel had found himself checking her pulse frequently to remind himself that she was still alive, for she felt as flaccid and cold as a corpse. Because of that, he realized, unfortunately, that taking off the cloths did little to revive them, and realized he could wait on the others.

Then there was Marlene, crouched nearby. What she was doing at the moment was making a torch. There were no shortages of torch sticks for doing so in the area. And even though it made the darkness a bit deeper to do so, extinguishing one of the purple lights to get a free stick almost seemed to make the area more wholesome and warmer, however slightly. Now, Marlene was busy wrapping some discarded linen bandages around the end of it to give a source of fuel.

By the time Denzel finally had managed to move the lid of the sarcophagus off the top, Marlene was finishing up. The young man himself was panting and covered with sweat at the moment, but as he backed away and looked within he noticed, sure enough, that the last coffin was made to look like Ragnar. Of course, this still left the question of how they could wake them up even when they were all fully freed. They still weren't aware of how bad things might be getting outside, either. Were those things any closer to getting inside? And when they did, what would happen? Perhaps ruining his sword hadn't been such a good idea after all…

"Alright…" Marlene announced, getting Denzel's attention. He turned back to her, and noticed that she was looking up to him. "Ready. You have a light?"

Denzel crooked an eyebrow. "Why not just light it off the torches in here?"

Marlene frowned. "I think that would just make another purple flame."

"You didn't bring your own matches?"

"Why would I need matches?"

"Why do you think I have them?"

"Give me a break, Denzel. You'd have a lighter along just to make yourself feel more 'adult'." Marlene answered with a half frown.

Denzel was about to protest this, but Marlene merely gave him a flat stare back. In the end, he clamped his mouth shut, rolled his eyes, and then walked over to the girl. As she stood up in response, he fished in his pockets and came out with a lighter a moment later. He held it up in front of him.

"Just 'cause I have this doesn't mean I smoke, so don't go telling mom that or I'll be grounded for a year."

Marlene sighed and held the torch end out in front of her. "Just light it already."

The boy reached her, and held up the lighter to the end of the hastily-made torch. He flicked it for a few moments, trying to get it to start. It seemed as if it almost didn't want to in this place…like something was keeping the fuel from igniting. Yet in the end, he did manage to make a small flame.

Denzel and Marlene paused on finally doing so. As soon as the flame was finally made, they were both surprised at the result. Small as the light was, it suddenly seemed much more brighter and friendlier a sight than anything they had seen since they stepped into the chamber. Even the heat that came from it seemed to chase away the numbing feeling, and Denzel could almost feel his fingers come to full vigor once again. Both stayed frozen for a few moments more, but finally Denzel shifted the light to the end of the torch. The linen quickly began to catch. The boy pulled the lighter back and took his finger off, then stepped back and looked at it. Marlene herself held up the end and watched.

It was amazing. All it was in essence was a small ball of fire, and yet the tiny glow seemed to drive back the darkness and must around them. Even the air in the area seemed to start smelling more natural from the small light. The small beacon they had made seemed brighter and more cheerful than all of the other torches put together, and the purple light of the other items seemed to almost melt back in the wake of it. To Denzel, it was like this place was some sort of siphon on life and warmth of energy, but introducing this tiny source brought a bit back. As a result, he freely stood back so that he could bask in its glow and let the light spread throughout the inner chamber as much as possible.

Both teenagers were captivated. Marlene almost slackened her jaw and marveled as she held the light up, as if she had been sealed in a cave her whole life and this was the first ray of the sun she had ever seen. It pushed back their fear and dread and gave them both senses of wonder and security…of hope, even…

While they still were drinking in this feeling, they heard a very slight moan.

Instantly, both recognized the tone of voice, light as it was. They snapped to the source in a flash, looking back to the pile of bandages that Aerith lay on top of. At first, they saw nothing. The form was still pale and cold and completely limp. However, the rays of the torch were also illuminating the body slightly. For a second, they thought they had imagined it…that maybe one of them had screeched a sneaker or shoe and produced something that sounded like it.

Then, they saw the throat bob slightly, and another small moan go out.

"Mrs. Aerith!" Marlene immediately called out. She quickly ran over to her. Denzel didn't call out, but he immediately turned and ran forward as well. In a flash, both were kneeling next to her side, bringing the torchlight even closer. From this distance, they could see her well illuminated in the fiery light. They both looked to her face and stared on at it. As they looked, they saw the lips slowly move, and another, slightly louder moan went out from her. Her head began to slowly turn from side to side.

"She's coming out of it!" Denzel exclaimed. "How?"

Marlene hesitated a moment, but then looked up to Denzel as she made the realization. "It's the torch!"

The young man looked up to her in puzzlement. "Huh?"

"Look!" Marlene answered. Immediately, she looked back down to Aerith, and proceeded to hold the torchlight closer to her head. She brought it as near as she dared, for at this point flaming bits were already starting to drip from it. She didn't position it right over her head or face, but put it to the side so that it could give as much light as possible without risking igniting her hair or skin. Yet once the light was there, Denzel began to see it himself.

The white pallor to Aerith's skin literally fled in the wake of the torchlight. He could see it drawing back across her face to the other side of her head. The flesh in the light seemed to grow pink and warm again, and appeared as if some sort of vitality was restored to it as well, if such was possible. Seeing this, Denzel reached out and touched Aerith's neck. No mistaking a pulse now. It was up to once every two seconds, and it was picking up speed. Aerith actually stirred a bit in his direction from where he touched. Her fingers began to flex.

Apparently, it was true. Something about this place had drained all life and vitality out of Aerith and the others. It was doing the same to him and Marlene as long as they stayed in here, but obviously Diablos had done something to them beforehand…something that made it so that they were to the point where they were nearly dead. The temple was draining them in such a way that every bit they recovered was immediately siphoned away, leaving them in the permanent state of being nearly dead. But even this tiny bit of warmth supplied to them was a surplus in addition to what they were producing. It was enough to make them recover from the vitality drain…surpass what was being sucked off of them. Denzel wasn't sure he fully understood it, but he figured that this was indeed what was happening.

Aerith's skin turned fully pink. She began to make more noises and swallowed. Finally, her pulse climbed up to near normal. When that occurred, it finally happened.

Giving out one louder exhale…Aerith's eyes fluttered open.

"Mrs. Aerith!" Both children called at once.

The Cetra winced in response to this, and groaned again, turning her head. "…D-D-Denzel? Marlene? Where…are we?"

Both teenagers immediately felt a wave of relief come over them. Aerith, at least, was revived. This gave them all a bit more hope for success in their endeavors. For a few moments, they were simply happy that they had managed to reach this point. Denzel, however, was the first to actually answer back. He exhaled a bit nervously, and rubbed the back of his head.

"_Really_ long story…"

"How do you feel?" Marlene asked.

Aerith closed her eyes and strained a bit. In response…her arms lifted slightly, but then slumped back down again. "…Whole body feels like dead weight…" She moaned in response. "So weak…"

In response, Marlene immediately pulled the torch down and began to hold it over Aerith's torso next. On doing so, it seemed to have an effect. Her fingers began to clench and release again, and started to become more motile. Meanwhile, Aerith looked up and around herself a bit, her face turning into more confusion as she did look about. As Marlene moved down to her upper legs next, the Cetra turned to Denzel.

"What…happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Denzel answered.

Aerith closed her eyes and seemed to think for a moment. Marlene moved down to the end of her body as she started to move her arms again, trying to get them to her sides to push her up without much success. The Cetra's eyes opened a moment later.

"…Seeing this purple monster…" She answered, but then quickly spoke again. "No. Something else…some nightmare…this demon…pulsing with evil…wearing another man's flesh for a mask… It was horrible."

Both Denzel and Marlene looked to each other at that. They exchanged rather ill expressions at the prospect. They knew who she was talking about after that encounter back at the diner. Marlene hesitated so long she nearly let the torch drip on Aerith again. However, she turned back just in time and quickly yanked it back. Once this was done, Aerith closed her eyes again, this time seeming to focus, and managed to slightly turn her head. She began to struggle to sit up, it appeared, but for her lack of strength she didn't get that far. When Denzel noticed this, he quickly reached behind her shoulders to help her rise. Yet as he pulled, Aerith's eyes opened again, and her gaze went over the mummified bodies next to her.

On seeing this, her face turned to become more troubled. "…What's going on?" Her head turned again and looked up, toward the ceiling, the torches, and the other surroundings. "What is this place?"

Marlene kept the torch in one hand, but scooted over and began to reach her other arm out to help Denzel raise Aerith. "Like Denzel said…it's a long story. But we better start telling it. I guess we should start with what happened to you back in the city…"

* * *

Ifrit was wavering a bit on his feet now. Staying up made him dizzy. However, he kept one hand in front of him and the hand holding his horn at his side, rather how a person wielding a real knife would do it. He tried to keep himself mobile as long as he was standing as well, but he was only having so much luck with that. He was so tired at this point that shifting position wore him out too easily. He seemed to only be twice as warm as he was moments ago. His power was cooling off quickly.

Across from him stood the Tonberry King. Aside from a few other bruises and a scratch or two, no further damage had been done. Furthermore, the monster hadn't slowed down in the least. Aside from its shift in temperament a while ago, there had been no changes. It could keep this up for hours without slowing down. The only one who was truly on their last legs was Ifrit. It seemed to realize this as well, although it hadn't lowered its intensity yet. It seemed to not want to leave itself open to another attack as it had before. Nevertheless, that only made the situation all the more hopeless. Despite Ifrit's resolution, the fire esper began to realize there was no way for him to win this battle.

However, that still didn't mean he'd stop.

Giving a growl, Ifrit lunged forward and jabbed out with his horn, advancing a step as he did so. The Tonberry King didn't stay put and take it this time. Instead, he belied his own speed by stepping back, letting the short jab hit only air. He quickly advanced in response, however, slicing out with his own knife. It was aimed not only at chopping Ifrit's "weapon" down to size but to give him a slash across the knuckles. Despite the speed, however, the fire esper was able to yank back in time to dodge it, although the force and speed of the air that shot by in the wake of the knife seemed potent enough to scratch regardless. Ifrit himself wasted little time though, and arched his body somewhat around in order to come back in toward his opponent while he was still pulling his hand back, this time aiming higher and for the one seemingly vulnerable spot: the eyes.

Naturally, the creature didn't stay put for this, but quickly snapped its head back and carried its body back with it. Of course, in doing so, it also left its lower torso projected forward and wide open. Ifrit seized this opportunity…although doing so forced him to expend more of his strength and reserves both to be fast enough to exploit it and to give his horn enough penetration power. He quickly shot his arm back in mid-stab and redirected it while the Tonberry King was still pulling back, and drove it toward the belly instead. At the last moment…the green monster did indeed yank back to avoid it, something that filled Ifrit with irritation and anger, but nevertheless the tip of the horn parted the charred robes of the creature and dipped in about an inch into the flesh beneath, just breaking the skin but failing to go in enough to draw some blood.

It was a costly hit, Ifrit soon discovered, for he made the mistake of holding on a moment longer…trying to drive his weapon in a bit more to hopefully hit pay dirt. As a result, when the Tonberry King slashed back, he pulled away too slowly. The fire beast winced and gave another snarl as his arm jerked away from the knife, as a red slash was opened across his entire forearm. He quickly ducked back again to avoid another follow up slash as his blood began to smolder and burn even as it came out from the wound. He dipped a moment later, just in time to avoid a third slash aimed at his head. Again, he felt a bit lighter afterward as pieces of his horn remnants and some hair were slashed off.

Gritting his teeth, Ifrit quickly ducked inward for the Tonberry King and swept his horn upward, driving the point up at an angle for beneath his jaw. Luckily, he again caught the beast as it was still performing a forward movement, and it wasn't able to snap back before the horn sliced upward and drove its tip into the underside of its green chin. It went in a bit…but the real pain occurred a moment later when the Tonberry King yanked back in an attempt to avoid it too late. Ifrit managed a grin as he saw the monster proceed to tear a gash into its own chin by ripping itself back off of the horn.

Unfortunately, this time, it didn't react in pain. Even as more thick green blood began to come out of it, it brought its knife down again, this time right at Ifrit's face. The fire esper's smile vanished as he struggled to avoid…but was too late. He soon gave another furious roar as he felt a hot pain slice from the top of one eye all the way across the snout, barely missing cutting off half of his vision. Nevertheless, blood immediately began to pour into one of his eyes, and the beast rocked back and snarled as he was blinded temporarily.

The Tonberry King, still leaking greenish blood, wasted little time afterward. Immediately it ducked in again and slashed out one more time, this time headed for the bloody horn in Ifrit's hand. With one easy swipe, he cut the horn at the "hilt", sending a smaller spike headed to the ground and leaving Ifrit holding a useless piece of hard material. At that point, the fire esper managed to look up with its unclouded eye, but was again too slow to react as the Tonberry King suddenly swung around with violent force and proceeded to lash out with its large tail for his legs. It smacked into one of his ankles a moment later…but with so much force that it nearly twisted it the wrong way. The bone was nearly broken. Ifrit's eyes bulged in pain, and he gave out another yell as he lost support to that limb. The tail kept sweeping by and easily knocked off his other foot, and within moments the fire esper was spilling onto its back once again.

He didn't have a chance to rest this time, however. Barely had he finished landing and begun to snarl again at his latest brush with pain when he saw the big green monster suddenly leap on top of him. His eyes bulged, and immediately he put up all four limbs to brace himself. Moments later, and a weight that was a strain even for his body came crashing down on top of all four limbs. Soon, his one ankle was in agony as the force of the Tonberry King pressing down on him twisted it horribly. Yet he could only bear with that pain, for both of his arms had seized the Tonberry King's limbs and now struggled desperately to keep him off of them. The green monster had tried to leap on top of him with its knife poised over its chest, and now was letting its full weight and musculature of its upper body drive the knife down into a position right over Ifrit's heart.

Steam began to pour off of Ifrit as he struggled against the weapon, his heat vaporizing all the sweat that poured off of him. He locked his teeth and strained with all his might. However, even if he wasn't weakened already, the Tonberry King had the far superior position, where he could use both gravity and muscle power to his advantage. Ifrit was essentially struggling to hold up the entire creature as it struggled to stab him mortally. In moments, his muscles were screaming in pain. His own limbs began to quiver despite his desperation to keep them strong and solid. And in spite of the fact that he began to turn beet red trying to keep the Tonberry King off of him…the knife slowly began to lower…

_Damnit!_ Ifrit cursed mentally, trying to use his rage, in vain, to push harder. It was just too much. He didn't have the strength left. He could feel himself breaking down. The knife tip slowly lowered until it began to rest on his torso's skin. _Green sack of crap! This is it… So much for my return visit to Gaia…_

As Ifrit began to rue all the things he hadn't had time to do since coming back to life, however, and saw himself staring at the Tonberry King's bloody knife and expressionless, now almost soulless, face overhead staring back down at it…his vision suddenly changed. One moment, he was only staring at the orbs for eyes on the flawless green face of the monster. The next…a neon green, cat-like creature was suddenly alighting on its shoulder, the red ruby in its forehead gleaming brightly. The Tonberry King seemed not to even notice this, but Ifrit's own strain turned to puzzlement.

"…Carbuncle?" He announced.

Now, the Tonberry King paused. Abruptly, part of its stabbing force broke off, and its green head turned to the side. It soon saw the grinning figure of the esper Carbuncle sitting there, who proceeded to give him a kiss on the "nose".

"Pack your bags, round boy." He informed it. "You're going on a trip."

Then, in a flash of ruby light…both Carbuncle and the Tonberry King vanished.

Ifrit let out an exhale as his limbs slumped to the ground. After that, he panted for a moment, rather canine like in doing so, and caught his breath. A sense of relief washed over him. However, what was more surprising to him was Carbuncle's sudden appearance and save. He barely had any time to figure out how exactly he had managed that when another flash of ruby light suddenly erupted, and Carbuncle rematerialized right on top of his chest.

Ifrit recoiled a bit in surprise at that, shocked at the sudden appearance. In doing so, his head went swinging back and smashed against the stone pavement. He gave out another yell as a result. Moments later, however, he looked at the green creature and snarled again.

"Damnit, don't do that! You know I hate that!"

Carbuncle merely frowned. "Gee, you're welcome for saving your life, Ifrit. Honestly, no one appreciates my greatness."

"…I could have handled 'im." Ifrit proceeded to lie in a grumble. After that, he began to push to his feet, not liking how sore and slow he was in doing so. He was still tired and out of breath after that fight. Carbuncle observed him, and gave a roll of his little black eyes before leaping off and touching down on the ground. As he got up, Ifrit noticed with some irritation that the slightest pressure on his one ankle drove him into sharp agony, and he was forced to be tender with it. "…What did you do with him, anyway?"

"I sure as heck didn't try to get into a fistfight with him like you." Carbuncle answered flatly. "Honestly, use your head, man. I figured swimming wasn't his strong point, so I teleported him out to the middle of the ocean and let him go. Even if he doesn't drown, he's not going to waddle his way back here for a loooong time. I think we're down one more opponent."

"Good riddance." Ifrit grumbled as he rotated his shoulder. "So now what?"

Carbuncle himself frowned a bit at that, and smoothed some of the fur against his head. "Well…now we try to bail out the others and find out where Diablos knocked the Magical Lamp so we can get it and trap him before he finishes up with Alexander and destroys us all, and hope that he's still not too strong to get caught when we do and he just smacks it away again, because I doubt he'll give us a third shot."

Ifrit took this all in for a moment, and kept his normally irritable look on for most of it. Luckily, Ifrit was one for action and not words, and he didn't banter any of the points. Instead, he snapped his neck again and let out one more exhale. After that, supporting most of his weight on one leg now since his other, he realized, was sprained or worse, he began to limp off, ready for battle again none the less.

"Well, let's not waste anymore time around here. I still owe the bastard for last time…"

* * *

Sacred's face spread into a monstrous grin, and he began to chuckle as he hoisted his victim into the air. Yuffie, on her part, could only struggle to breathe through being throttled. She was rather bruised and bloody at this point, and lacked the strength, it seemed, even to raise her shuriken to throw once again. Not that it would matter…because at this point it had been confirmed that the weapon could only scratch the beast, not kill him or seriously hurt him. Nevertheless, it seemed the big one was enjoying this immensely…

Vincent wished he could say the same, or could at least bail out Yuffie at the moment. He really could do neither with the smaller one currently pinning him down. One hoof stayed perched on his chest, while the other had stepped out to his flesh and blood arm and had stepped on it, digging in just now when he had attempted to reach out for his gun. That itself lay about a foot farther away, still smoking hot from all that it had fired. He supposed it hardly mattered now. The gun had nearly been out of ammunition, and he had been taking too many hits from the smaller esper as the battle had dragged on, whether that was stray physical blows (which had been few but painful) or debris and cast objects that had been flung in his direction.

The four were in the midst of a ruined parking lot, although you could hardly tell that from initial appearances. Huge slabs of concrete were flipped up and over, making most of the area impossible to travel. The esper brothers were to blame for that. Vincent had led Yuffie there, hoping that it would leave the opportunity for multiple exits or to split up at least so they could try and take them separately, although both of them were growing tired and sore at that point. Unfortunately for him, his opponents had other ideas. They burrowed back into the ground and proceeded to rip up the entire parking lot around them, starting from the outermost edges and working their way in. Soon they were trapped in one area, where they could do little to dodge when both exploded out from underneath them, knocking both for a loop and leading them to their present situation.

Vincent stared up at the smaller minotaur, trying to hide the strain on his own expression. The small one looked back with a similar lack of emotion. He knew now there was only one thing left. It was rather good timing for it. His stress levels and adrenaline were maximized. He could feel the reactions in his bloodstream eager to begin. At this point, he could transform into the Galian Beast. Unfortunately, he doubted that it would be a match for these two. He possessed almost perfect control over that transformation at this point, but these two were too much for it to handle. He could try transforming into Chaos…risky as that was. There was no guarantee he wouldn't just finish Yuffie off as well, but seeing as they'd be dead in a moment anyway…

"CAN I POP HER HEAD OFF NOW OR WHAT, BIG BROTHER?" Sacred yelled out impatiently, even as Yuffie kept struggling and vainly kicked up, trying to make her feet reach the big one to beat against it.

"patience, sacred." The small one calmly answered, turning his eyes to the side just long enough to talk to him, and then looking back to his own victim. "you won't get another chance. this is it. surrender now or we will kill you and the female human."

Vincent didn't answer. He couldn't afford to. Instead, he was trying to calm himself down as much as possible to try and keep as clear a mind as possible during the transformation into Chaos. It would have to be that. Nothing else would be sufficient. The little one took the silence as a refusal, however. He bowed his head slightly, seeming regretful on hearing it, but then gave a grim nod.

"then we have no choice."

The small one raised an arm to Sacred with his hand elevated. A chuckle went out from the big one as his fist began to tighten around Yuffie's neck. Apparently, when the hand went down, that would be the signal to finish her. That meant it was time. Ending his preparations, Vincent started to focus beyond the basal level of the Galian Beast and instead focused deeper and lower…into the more chaotic parts of his psyche…into his greatest hates and expressions of rage…

"I'd hold off on that if I were you."

Surprise was what cut Vincent off, bringing him back to "the present", so to speak. But it wasn't necessarily surprise at the sudden voice that had spoken up. It was rather to the quality of it. Even then, it wasn't because of its raw characteristics…how thick, seductive, and even intoxicating it was to the ears…but rather to the fact that he recognized it. He had heard it many times at this point although he had only seen the source in a glimpse or two. At any rate, it immediately gathered his attention and those of the others. They turned their heads slightly to the side, opposite directions for either minotaur, as it seemed the voice was in between the two.

Sure enough…there she was. Stretched out belly first on the ground, legs up behind her and crossed, and resting her chin on a propped up elbow as she stared at them with a dark smile spread across her purple lips, was the enchanting esper.

Vincent wasn't sure what to make from this. If he ran into her, he expected her to try and seduce him. However, right now, she was just watching…and she had told the minotaurs to hold off. Since he was in little shape to fight unless he brought out his "other halves", he kept watching.

Sacred, unsurprisingly, was soon frowning and snarling.

"BUTT OUT, BITCH! THESE GUYS ARE MINE!"

The smaller was, as always, more calm. "sacred, i told you not to swear."

Again, the big one cowed and backed down a bit, once more looking like he was in trouble. However, his grasp stayed on Yuffie, who, out of all of them, seemed to care the least about the esper and the most about breaking free. She continued to struggle as best she could in vain.

The small one looked to the esper. "since these two are priority targets, siren, i'm assuming you wish to enchant them and find out who is the last target we need?"

"Guess again." The esper, Siren, responded. "I'm here to tell you to not waste time on these small fries any longer. Seems we have bigger fish to worry about now."

"OH YEAH?" Sacred snorted. "LIKE WHO?"

"Like Diablos."

Vincent reacted with some surprise to that. The other two espers paused for a moment, the big one's face turning into confusion, obviously not quite grasping what this all meant due to his apparently low intelligence. However, the smaller one only had to pause a bit longer before twisted his face into a frown.

"i thought it would come to this between you and him. neither of you seemed to be too keen on serving or working for the other. i'm sorry to tell you this, but i don't like the idea of working for you any more than diablos. i think we have enough of our kind fighting amongst themselves. we don't need a third faction. besides, it's suicide at this point to go after him. if you want another revolution, you'll have to count us out."

"Funny you should talk about death like that…" Siren calmly answered, keeping her smile, as she began to pull herself up. "Because I'm pretty sure it's suicide to keep serving Diablos at this point. Not long ago, I did indeed attempt a bit of a rebellion, but not to gain power so much as you might think but to save myself. Like you said, neither of us enjoy the other one working for us. At any rate, he seemed to catch on to me and shared a tidbit of knowledge. We're hired thugs to him. He's not creating any new esper world order. He's just using our power just like those damn humans back during the War of the Magi."

"WHATEVER!" Sacred snapped back. "YOU JUST WANT US TO BE YOUR OWN GRUNTS, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GET US TO KILL OURSELVES FIGHTING HIM!"

"No, it's the truth." Siren flatly responded, not really sounding too insistent about it but simply stating it as a fact. She turned to the smaller one specifically next. "Come on. You're the biggest goodie-two-shoes in our bunch. You aren't stupid. Aside from the fact that you can literally feel the evil dripping off of this guy, you've got the fact that he brought back the Phantom Train, someone who hates our guts, to do most of his work. And don't tell me you can't sense how much that one hates us every time we get on board. Let's not forget him bringing back those lords of the Tonberries and Cactuars either, both of whom never cared for our interference. And what exactly have we been doing to establish our new order thus far except doing small missions for him while he calls up every malformed abomination still hanging around since Hades and turns our opponents into mindless grunts for his army? Or the fact that he changed over from my command of them to his own personal?"

"coincidences, potentially." The small one answered. "he's not one of us, so we can't expect him to be exclusive to our cause."

"Oh please…don't play as dense as your brain-dead little brother." Siren snorted in reply, and quickly continued even as Sacred started to throw a fit again. "He may not be one of us, but he's engrained in our mythology as someone who goes around consuming lost souls. That makes him a pretty bad customer in my book. And exclusive to our cause? What exactly has he done that's even partial to our cause so far? Anything? Anything besides order us around and express anger when we fail? Haven't you been wondering what exactly he's doing with those Cetra he mummified? How all the power he's gained from them just seems to be going to him?"

"SHUT UP!" Sacred suddenly snapped. "YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO CONFUSE US, YOU WITCH!"

Siren let out a chuckle at this. "If I wanted to get you boys to change through seduction and enchantment, I'd have been singing to you on arrival. It would be very easy to turn you, rocks for brains. I would have been the first of our kind to be 'retired' had not ol' Leviathan shown up and helped me out. So I at least owe him an attempt to get you two to change sides as well. I may hate to admit this, but the sea snake is right about one thing. The signs have been clear up until now. The only reason we can't swallow the fact that Diablos will inevitably stab us in the back is because of our own little delusions. We've been ignoring them and believing what we want to believe."

Vincent was a bit intrigued at Siren's choice of a response, noting how similar it was to his a moment ago. He looked back to the small minotaur. This time, it seemed he was giving it a little more thought. It seemed typical enough. After all, he could ignore it when first brought up, but if someone else was pointing out his error in thinking it might persuade him a bit better.

Sacred was still on the brink of throwing a fit from being insulted, but the small one thought things out a bit more. He actually lowered his head and went over these things for a bit. Eventually, however, he raised it again.

"you still stand to benefit a lot from all this…and-"

"If you don't want to believe me, then by all means waste time killing those two and continue to be good little obedient doggies." Siren cut off. "Ignore the fact that most of Diablos' other followers only do so because he forces them to while you two half-wits are doing it willingly. Ignore the fact that he's already building a dozen things typical of a necropolis beneath the ground that we can all sense as evil. Ignore the plain and simple truth that you're helping someone who we all know is the embodiment of chaos and hate to gain enough power to be unstoppable, and you two dimwits actually think he'll still have any reason to keep you around once he does."

Again, the small one paused. He even seemed to grimace a bit at this as he went silent once more. Sacred, however, reacted differently. Forgetting Yuffie all together, he literally tossed the ninja aside, letting her smash into the ground rather sharply and causing her to yelp, and then stepped forward toward Siren. One of his fists brandished.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! I'M GONNA POUND YOUR FACE IN BEFORE I FINISH THESE TWO LOSERS! START SINGING YOUR FUNERAL SONG, BITCH!"

"heh…"

On hearing a single chuckle come out from the smaller minotaur, everyone paused and turned their attention to him. Sacred himself was passing the smaller one at the moment, while Siren just continued to grin and calmly await his arrival. Now, however, she turned to the small one along with Sacred and Vincent. Yuffie was still gasping from a distance, and didn't seem able to get up just yet, but no one else paid much attention to her. They were all focusing on the small minotaur as he began to speak.

"…second time i've heard all this…and a second time most of me says to not believe it or rationalize it. i could dismiss it now too. claim it's part of your idea to take power for yourself, siren. however…if i tried to now at this point, i'd be a fool."

Sacred's fist lowered, and he turned fully to the smaller one. "BIG BROTHER…"

The smaller one looked up and directed his attention more toward Sacred. "the humans hate diablos. alexander hates diablos. now even his own followers do so. he's given us nothing but orders and no concept of any real plan. i ask for evidence of diablos' treachery, when the truth is there's no evidence of his sincerity. just him wanting me to be more violent and kill more humans…and for what? the only answer i can think of is to feed him more agonized souls…"

Sacred's face began to look hurt. "BUT BIG BROTHER…"

"i was wrong, sacred." The minotaur cut off. "we both were."

The big one's lip quivered. He pointed to the struggling Yuffie. "BUT…BUT…THEY ATTACKED US!"

"and who attacked them first, hmm?" The small one simply answered.

Sacred tried to answer, but no sound came out. He groaned and pulled back, but still seemed to pout.

"little brother, one of these days you will have to realize that there are more important things in the world than getting 'even'." The small one calmly addressed him. "people make mistakes and that's forgivable, but to keep making them once you realize you're wrong is stupidity. do you understand?"

The big one dug a hoof against the ground. His massive arms twisted behind him as he bowed his head and turned a bit. "…YEAH…" He finally spoke in a much quieter and more dejected voice. "I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT…"

Siren gave a chuckle at seeing this. "Hell must have froze over. The big one actually looks like he's using his brain."

Instantly, Sacred's head snapped up, and his eyes filled with rage again. He was about to stamp forward, when the little one put out an arm to stop him. Even so, it seemed as if his tiny appendage had to hold the huge one back before he could charge. That was good, because Vincent realized his path would lead him to rip right through his prone body if he did.

"i'd appreciate it if you stopped insulting my little brother." The small one stated, a bit more sternly this time. "now what do you need from us?"

Siren smiled a bit wider at this, and leaned up more. She pointed a finger out to a portion of the city. "The last Cetra turned out to be Krystea Anne Valentine. Diablos tried to snatch her, but Alexander came out and managed to hold him off. Still, he's got three lap dogs still after her: Cerberus, Pandemona, and our old friend the Doomtrain. Shiva's come out to try and hold them off, but she's too weak to do more than stall them. Once they turn on her, she's dead. Think you two can do anything about them?"

Both minotaurs seemed to calm down at that one. They turned and looked to each other a moment, seeming to exchange information through physical cues and expressions rather than verbally. A moment passed, before the small one turned back with arms crossed.

"we wouldn't get anywhere with pandemona, as both of us are pretty much immune to the other. and cerberus is too fast for us to hope to hit with a direct assault. but if we use a bit of strategy, i think we can take out the doomtrain."

Sacred seemed a bit surprised on hearing that. "…HOW, BIG BROTHER?"

The small one turned back to him. "don't you remember mudblack fields? against that reclaimed airship?"

Surprisingly, Sacred gave out a whimper at that. He seemed to cringe a little, and, to Vincent, almost seemed to raise his hands to his head, as if remembering an old injury. "…DO…DO WE HAVE TO?" He whined.

The small one simply turned back to Siren with a nod. "he's no problem. someone else will have to take the other two."

"I think I can accommodate that." Siren answered with a smile. With that, she began to get up herself. "Get a move on. They could capture her at any moment, and then we're all in trouble."

As soon as she was back on her feet, Siren spread out her wing-like hair and began to levitate into the sky. Once a good distance off the ground, she turned and began to fly off. That left, Vincent, the two minotaurs, and Yuffie…who only now seemed to be getting enough of her bearings to actually focus on what was going on. The two minotaurs on their part didn't hesitate long. They turned their bodies into the direction that Siren had been pointing and soon began to move off, with the small one finally stepping off of Vincent. As he did, relief flowed back into his limbs and his aches slowly began to subside. However, they only got a few steps before the small one hesitated. The big one kept going for a moment before he realized that his big brother had stopped, and then he halted and turned back to him.

A moment later, the small one turned around and looked back to Vincent. The man stared back calmly despite the pain and watched.

"…for what it's worth, i'm sorry." The small one finally spoke.

The large one heard that, and immediately curled his own lips into a sneer. He looked up and glared at both Vincent and Yuffie, before he finally crossed his arms and grumbled. "WELL I'M NOT. ONE OF THESE DAYS WE'LL SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL. YOU GOT LUCKY TODAY, SHRIMPS."

With that, the two turned and continued to rush off. Vincent, from his position on the ground, soon lost track of them as they turned around rubble surrounding the parking lot and vanished from sight. Even Sacred's massive footsteps were soon fading in the distance as well, with the tremors dying out. That left just him and Yuffie still on their backs abandoned in the lot. Aside from the sounds of continuing battle around them, all was left silent.

Only after a few moments of silence did Yuffie turned to Vincent in utter puzzlement.

"Alright…what just happened?"

* * *

Diablos enveloped himself in another cloud of bats, although he didn't make them form a solid mass this time. After that, he once again began to fly for Alexander. Not straight this time, however, but in a zig-zag pattern that was seemingly random. It was good for him, because Alexander soon used his remaining gun to fire off more "holy flak" in an attempt to stop his charge. The area in front of the colossus was soon filled with radiant white smoke as the giant fired off. Diablos, however, continued to dodge throughout, and it didn't seem as he drew closer that he was getting any hits in.

Finally, the demon reached the front of the construct, but rather than going for a straight hit shifted one last time, moving quickly to the feet of Alexander. After that, he shot straight upward like some sort of cannon shell, flashing out his claws. The air shook a moment later as his infernal body smashed up at a near vertical angle into Alexander's head, slashing out as he did so. As he tore past him into the sky, the colossus once again shook the ground as he staggered back on his appendages. Holy light burst forth from a slice across what could have been the giant's "neck", and its head swerved back. The metal around it warped and bent, and it looked as if Diablos might have almost taken his head off…

But even as it staggered, Alexander launched a counterattack. The laser went out from the head again and shot after Diablos' rising body even faster. Moments later, the demon sprawled out its wings in surprise as the beam appeared to attach itself around one of its legs. Immediately afterward, he was ripped out of the heavens and back toward the ground, trailing his bats behind him. Alexander didn't smash him into the pavement, however, or even drag him all the way back to the earth. Instead, the colossus twisted him around while he regained his footing, so that the batless Diablos was aimed right in front of its remaining shoulder cannon. A moment later, and another unified blast of holy light erupted. Diablos' body again vanished into the power and was blasted away from Alexander, carried about two blocks before being smashed into an abandoned building. The beam punched him into the side of it, smashing parts of it around him, before finally cutting off.

A lull followed. Alexander took the moment to reposition himself and move forward. However…his gears were making more whining noises now. Debris was clogging parts of him and making him protest. Dents and rips throughout his surface were accumulating, and he was hardly as clean and perfect as he looked when he arrived. He was still smoldering from previous attacks, and one of his legs seemed to only stiffly be giving ground.

Despite Alexander's best intentions, they were fighting into parts of the city that were still populated. The normal citizens had evacuated, but some were trapped. Furthermore, the former enemy had pushed in here, and many of them were only now starting to recover and finding themselves naked and confused in the middle of a war zone. By now, Diablos' "coven" had recovered. Now they hovered in the sky at a distance on their flying disk, grimly watching the situation and awaiting further instruction. Alexander's earlier attempt at blasting was not meant to send them for a loop but to release the wizards as well, but unfortunately they were defending themselves, and a more focused attack might hurt them or destroy their platform. Because of that, he had little choice but to let them go for now.

The silence lasted a bit longer, before, in the distance, a shifting of rubble began to be heard. Within the hole punched into the building, bits of stone and debris started to topple from the hole. A few seconds later, and a form flew out from it and back into the sky, surrounded by another swarm of black creatures. This time, however, it didn't go at maximum speed, nor immediately launch into another attack. Instead, it simply went into the sky and stopped. Alexander focused on the form, but did not move.

It was Diablos, typically. By now, he had quite a few scuffs on his own body. Scales were missing in a place or two, and blood was running from some abrasions. He was actually visibly breathing at this point. Unfortunately, that was all. And now, he was grinning as he stared at the colossus.

"That hurt…" He mentioned in a calmer voice. "…but not as much as last time. You've hit your peak. You're losing strength with each new blast. What a pity…I still have plenty to spare."

Immediately, the demon aimed both hands forward, crooked its fingers in Alexander's direction, and let loose with its black lightning once again. In a snap, the dark power snaked through the air and bore straight for the colossus to fry him again. This time, however, Alexander didn't take it. His remaining shoulder weapon quickly angled down for the approaching wave of dark power and fired again, this time shooting a sustained blast with all launchers. The two waves of power met and collided with a sound like sparks and sizzling. The dark energy continued to come forward, however, forcing Alexander to continue to blast back. His beams had to soon break off and split a bit, for Diablos attempted to snake his energy around the radiant counter. However, he continued to hold. The gears whined a bit within him, and his own heavy legs dug into the pavement, but still he managed to stave off the assault…

Then, it happened.

Abruptly…his other shoulder cannon exploded.

The colossus reeled and staggered to the side as more black, sizzling fragments of his metal poured off of his burning shoulder. His legs crushed buildings and vehicles alike as he moved. If anyone had been watching this portion of the fight, they would have wondered at this point what had happened. The answer would only become clear a moment later, as they would realize that the black thunder had suddenly vanished, and saw a large flaming piece emerge from Alexander's shoulder. As the fire and smoke died down, they would soon see the horrible form of Diablos, cackling madly, as more bats gathered around him.

Diablos had indeed more power…enough to actually break off a piece of himself while firing at Alexander. He had done so, leaving it to fight back against Alexander's beam cannon for a few seconds while he himself gathered up his power and speed, and then transformed himself into an unstoppable projectile again. Then he had simply gone around Alexander's own attack and come in from an angle, smashing right through the mounted shoulder launcher. He had taken a bit of damage in doing so, but he again had more than enough power to envelop himself in black bats. They had absorbed all the energy…and he was left to simply throw up a fresh shield as he moved out from the flames again.

Now, the demon watched the colossus stagger, and let out another booming laugh. Aiming its palms forward, it fired again. An orb of dark energy exploded from its hand and struck Alexander right in the vulnerable mark in the chest. Soon, the giant staggered and stumbled back more as a black explosion went off in the center of it. More electricity thundered around and pierced it briefly in the wake. Still laughing, Diablos fired again, making him writhe even more and filling him with more black energy. Now, more bits of his armor began to fly off in blackened chunks, leaving more white glow underneath…but a glow that now seemed a bit dimmer. Thinking his opponent helpless now, Diablos put both hands together and began to summon an even larger orb…

When Alexander, in the middle of trying to get his footing, fired his laser at Diablos' chest. The confidence of the monster suddenly turned to confusion as he saw the beam strike it. Again, however, it didn't pierce him or attempt to do any damage. Instead, it broke into multiple beams on impact, which quickly laced around Diablos' torso in a dozen different ways. The demon realized in moments that Alexander wasn't shooting him…he was harnessing him. But that was all he had time to realize before Alexander forced himself to stand straight, and then began his new attack.

Like a rubber ball on a tether, Diablos was suddenly snapped back along the laser line toward Alexander, again outstripping the protective swarm around him. The giant was still smoldering from his fresh wound, but he didn't try to blast Diablos with any holy energy. Instead, he raised one massive tower-like appendage, and smashed it into Diablos with all the force he could muster. A horrible cry went out as the demon roared in pain, and proceeded to go flying away from Alexander like before. Yet that lasted only a second before the laser was abruptly "pulled taut". Diablos snapped abruptly and then went sailing back toward Alexander, who smashed him again, this time knocking him into another abandoned building and sending him ripping all the way through. Again, the line was snapped, and Diablos was dragged back, flailing now, and being raked through another portion of the building before reaching Alexander. Immediately, he was pounded again, this time being sent to the ground to be grinded against the rubble.

Alexander continued this. He yanked Diablos back up only to smash him against the dirt again. His body was flung about like a child with a toy, swinging Diablos to and fro and letting him be battered violently against everything. Soon, the demon began to curse. Despite the pain it was being put through, it fired off blasts at Alexander. However, the colossus either endured every weak hit, or snapped Diablos around too hard for him to focus a serious blow. Of the two, the one tied to the line was the one who took far, far more damage. It seemed as if, despite his "lower power", Alexander had the upper hand…

The holy esper yanked Diablos up one more time, twirled him around in the air, and then snapped him back down with the increase of force to smash him even more violently into the ground. He landed a moment later, so hard that the surrounding blocks shook, and a small eruption of stones went up…

However, this time, that wasn't all that went up.

A small black ball of energy, too weak to hurt Alexander, suddenly fired off in a beeline away from the monster, toward the edge of the battle zone and toward the ruins of a building. It followed a slight arc despite its speed, evident that it would come around and hit the ground.

In response, Alexander did something unexpected. He cut off the laser. Releasing Diablos completely, he turned his head as fast as he could, which unfortunately wasn't much due to the neck hit. However, it still manage to orientate itself to the orb before landing, and fired off its laser again. Right before impact, the pure beam struck the orb and instantly disintegrated it.

At almost the exact same time, a laugh sounded.

_"Fool!"_

In a flash, Diablos, enveloped with crackling black energy, forming a sphere of darkness around himself again, shot out from the hole and impacted Alexander in the chest full force. Laughing like a maniac over the din it created, it began to fill Alexander with its penetrating beams as it raked him back along the ground, tearing up more wreckage and whatever things had been lucky enough to escape their fight the whole time. Unseen by any observer, the monster was pounding away deeper and deeper into the chest wound, ripping out pieces of blackened metal and driving more pain into Alexander the whole time. Only once it had dragged him about a block did the demon start to back off, but only to start firing orb after orb of black energy into the holy esper, continuing to pump him full of explosions and black electricity…

Even while being bashed and beaten, Diablos had gained enough of his bearings to spot a target…innocent lives trapped in the bottom of a ruined building. At least three dozen. The monster knew well Alexander's weakness for saving life, and so it had been a small matter of firing a relatively weak attack in that direction, one that would have been more than enough to send what was left of the building ruins down on top of the hapless victims below, killing them all. Alexander had to break off to counter with his only weapon fast enough…and Diablos immediately seized the opportunity.

Diablos had wasted a lot of energy with his last few attacks, in his pride letting Alexander destroy portions of it in order to blow up his other shoulder launcher. He had taken a lot more pain with Alexander's latest chain of devastating attacks. However…he was still clearly the stronger of the two, and he went about widening the gap in their powers as he continued his assault…

* * *

"And so we started to release you guys. I'm guessing they managed to get Alexander out by now…at least, I hope they did. And they should be fighting in Junon by this point."

Aerith stared back at the two teenagers, her mouth slightly ajar as she took in the last of this information. She was on her feet now, but was stumbling and sweating at the slightest movement. Ragnar and the twins had been fully unwrapped, but were all similar to Aerith. The torch had burned out before they had the chance to revive them. Only the matriarch of the family was fully on her feet now, although all that she heard threatened to overwhelm her once again. Apparently, even though times had changed and the Shinra were gone, Cetra were still targets for the forces of evil in the world.

Aerith looked away and into the room for a moment. She stared at the empty sarcophagi. When she did, she felt a coldness inside her. She couldn't believe that they had that done to them. Captured and turned into living corpses, their life siphoned away to feed Diablos full of power, with the one goal of eventually making him master of Gaia's energy flow itself. It was horrible, on par with what Jenova had attempted with her "daughter". But what unsettled her the most was that this had happened to her children and husband in the first place…that they had been struck and captured like this and she had been helpless to stop them. Diablos had attacked her family, and despite his "higher" goals, that still made this personal to her. And now, there was no telling who was left to stop him. Aerith's own energy level was weak and not recovering anymore thanks to still being sealed in the tomb, but what little had come back had allowed her to begin sensing a horrible dark energy farther away…

After thinking for a long time, Aerith finally turned to the children again. They looked back to her, waiting for her to respond. But once she had their attention, she turned away and toward the black tunnel that led into this inner sanctum. Taking a deep breath, she began to hobble that way as fast as she could.

"Alright then…I have to go."

As expected, Marlene and Denzel immediately fell in on either side and looked to the woman in total surprise and confusion.

"Go?" Marlene echoed.

"Go where?" Denzel added.

"To fight Diablos myself." The Cetra simply answered.

Again, as expected, both of the teenagers looked to her like she had gone out of her mind. They instantly got closer and nearly put their faces in hers as she panted and kept walking.

"Mrs. Aerith, you can barely walk!" Marlene protested.

"He's too powerful!" Denzel protested. "Let the espers handle him!"

"I can't." Aerith answered, straining a bit as she made it to the stairs. As she winced, she forced herself to walk up them as fast as she could. She continued to talk through a pained expression. "I…can only sense…him. There aren't any…good energy signatures…nearly at his strength. Either Alexander hasn't revived yet, or he's already…beaten him…"

With one last exhale, she made it to the top. She paused a moment to catch her breath. Marlene and Denzel, however, looked to each other fearfully in response at Aerith's words. She had to admit, what she said wasn't comforting. But Aerith had eschewed most of her fear at this point in her life in favor of what had to happen. Once she had recovered enough, she forced her body to keep walking. A moment later, and the kids fell in alongside her as she made her way down the hall.

"But if even Alexander couldn't stop him…" Denzel began.

"He already caught you once, Mrs. Aerith." Marlene warned.

"Only because I didn't expect his power and was dazzled." Aerith answered. "If I had been more careful, I wouldn't have gotten caught by Pandemona either. He used a form of gravity magic on me last time. He had to have in order to reduce me with just one spell. I won't let that happen again this time."

"But you're so weak…" Denzel protested.

"If I can get out of this tomb…I'll recover quickly. So will Ragnar, Samoa, and Simoa. I can't get back to full power or even half power by the time I run into him…but I don't need to. He stole our energies, but something must have been 'lost in conversion', I guess. He's strong…but he's nowhere near the Sorceress. Even at a fraction of full power I should be able to stop him."

"I don't like this…" Marlene kept on. "It's too dangerous."

Aerith actually managed a smile and a short laugh at that. "Heh…I'm pretty nervous about it myself, Marlene…but I have to go. If all of those other espers are helping Diablos, then they won't be able to attack him as a team, and I don't think they'll be able to succeed even if they do. I can't sit here and let them fight, especially after what they did to my family."

"Maybe we should go off and hide for a while." Marlene suggested. "If you're stronger than him at full power, then we can wait until you recover. Then you can fight him."

Aerith merely let out a sigh in response as she kept walking. "You're probably right, Marlene…and that may be the smarter thing to do…but Diablos is going to be angry when he sees we're gone. If what you said is true, he's feeding himself from innocent lives he's destroying too. Not only may he kill the espers and everyone in Junon while I'm recovering, he might get mad when he sees I escaped and try to get closer to my level by killing countless other people. And he's already shown he doesn't fight stupidly. If I let him set up the next fight, he might ambush me again. If I can get him out here, he'll be surprised and preoccupied…hopefully hurt and tired, too. I've got to go now."

The children were silent at this, but still seemed to be nervous. Aerith couldn't blame them. Marlene was right. That might be the wisest course of action. But no…Diablos had already shown himself to be too much for any of them when they let him pick the time, place, and conditions of battle. And she learned the hard way that even with her incredible power she could be beaten with rather small gestures. The only thing she knew for sure right now was that Diablos didn't know she had escaped. Otherwise, she was sure he'd be on his way back to remummify her. He would be caught off guard, and this would be the best shot they had at stopping him. Too many people had already been killed by that monster. She wouldn't give him the chance to build himself up any further.

Aerith couldn't move too much farther down the corridor before she ran into an empasse. Just as the teens had told her, just up ahead was a stone slab covering the main hallway into and out of the chamber. The Cetra walked until she was standing right in front of it, and then turned back to Marlene and Denzel as they finished walking up to her.

"Alright, open the door." She told them.

On hearing that, both of them hesitated and looks rather nervous. After a pause, one of them made the confession.

"Um…we don't know how." Denzel admitted. "We shut it behind us on the way in so we couldn't be followed. Now the machinery that opened it is ruined."

Marlene crossed her arms and leveled a glare at him. "…'We?'"

At any rate, Aerith soon blanched a bit at that. She turned back to the slab afterward. She reached out and felt it next. She was trying to check how thick it was, but it wasn't long after that she withdrew her hand again. It was cold to the touch, and with her condition it seemed to suck the warmth out of her entire arm. She pressed her arm to her chest as she looked it over, and finally held out a hand to it. A moment later, she attempted to focus and draw out some of her inner power. She got out about three arcane syllables before she started feeling terribly dizzy, and before another word could come she let out an exhale as her knees gave way.

Luckily, Marlene quickly rushed in on her and grabbed her before she could collapse entirely. She still had to hold the Cetra up a moment before her head cleared. Slowly, Aerith's senses returned, and she forced her legs underneath her again as she stood.

"Are you alright?" Marlene asked.

"Just too drained…" The Cetra answered. She continued to feel dizzy and light headed when she got up, but forced herself to keep standing and had Marlene release her. "I can't summon enough power to blow through this."

"Does that mean we're stuck?" Denzel asked in response, a bit uneasy sounding at that.

Marlene turned to him with a frown. "I told you not to cut that chain…"

"If I hadn't cut it we would have had every monster in the place in here!" He protested.

"Well now how are we supposed to get out?" The girl nearly shouted back.

As if in response to that inquiry, a sharp sound of metal abruptly rang out as a blade erupted from the stone slab a full foot and emerged right in front of the three. They immediately snapped back in surprise as it poked out toward them, moving away for fear of being slashed. They hadn't gone back far, however, before the blade quickly shifted downward to one side at an angle. After going to the margin of the doorway entrance, it snapped back and did so to the other side, and then sliced upward toward the former angle once again. Despite the fact that the door was made of stone, the blade cut through it easily. It continued to cut through more rapidly, making one slash after another through the stone, slicing it into numerous sections. Nevertheless, the door held together in one piece.

After the stone was rent thoroughly, the blade finally popped back out again. Once that happened, all was still and quiet for a moment. Not long after, however, some sort of impact must have hit the door on the opposite side, because one of the pieces of the slab began to bulge out in the direction of the three. As it continued to bulge outward, the other pieces above it began to shift, losing the support of the bottom section.

"Someone's trying to get in." Denzel announced.

"We better back away in case the whole slab collapses on top of us." Aerith responded.

Immediately, the Cetra turned and stepped back from the sliced slab. After a moment longer, Denzel and Marlene quickly followed. For the moment, none of them questioned who or what was actually attempting to break into the chamber. All they did for now was back up enough to ensure that they wouldn't be hurt by whatever was doing so. For Aerith, she only wanted the door open. She had a feeling even getting "fresh" air outside the chamber would be enough to help her recover…

It was a good thing they backed away, as it soon turned out. A few seconds later, the stone slab was hit with some sort of explosive force, and to the tune of a compressed eruption surged forward like a rockslide to cover anything in front of it. The three shrank back more, and Aerith covered her ears and head as the pieces of stone rained down, allowing the sound of the blast that had forced them back to echo into the dark chamber beyond. A reverberation shot through the floor, rattling them as they stood their ground against it. However, in spite of all of that, Aerith still detected a refreshing breeze of somewhat more "livid" air being forced into the chamber following the eruption. When she caught wind of it and inhaled, she could almost feel it seeping into her body and filling her with a bit more energy as it coursed into her.

The three didn't have to stay crouched long, however. The eruption died down quickly and the tremors ceased. There wasn't a lot of dust either. As a result, they were able to recover and look back out the entrance to see who had destroyed the slab covering.

A moment later, and Aerith recognized the face of Azure as he returned an orb of materia to his pocket, standing alongside a younger-looking girl.

Apparently, Azure recognized her and the others as well a moment later, for his own expression soon turned into one of surprise. "Mrs. Aerith?" He called in.

"Azure?" Denzel answered, as both of the teenagers recognized who was outside.

On hearing this, Azure looked and seemed to note the two teenagers. Immediately, relief flooded his features. "You two are alright! Thank God! Looks like that second intruder alert they sounded was about you two after all… I was afraid we lost you back in that fight at the elevator, even after hearing that radio message. How in the world did you two get out of there anyway?"

Aerith had already heard this part of the story, but Marlene looked a bit nervous in response, grinning a bit sheepishly and hesitant. Nevertheless, the two other teenagers, and Aerith as well, were happy to see that Azure was alright too. They had somewhat abandoned him as well earlier, after all. That girl had to be the Shelke person who had helped them out too. At any rate, she stayed fairly stoic and to one side as they talked. After Marlene laused long enough, Denzel spoke up instead. "It's a long story…but what about you guys? Did you get Alexander?"

"Yes." Shelke spoke up at last. "We took him to the church ruins in Midgar."

"That place is brimming with holy power." Aerith answered on hearing this. "He'd recover quickly, but I hope he's still gathering power at this point…because I'm still not sensing him."

Everyone turned back to Aerith on hearing that. However, she didn't give any further answer. Instead, she moved as fast as she could out past the rubble, wobbling as she tried to navigate it, but making for the entrance to the area. Azure was about to speak to her, but as she continued to make her way turned back to the other two instead.

"What about the twins and Mr. Ragnar?"

Denzel gestured behind him. "They're in there too, but there's not much to say to them. Whatever this place is, it drained their energy."

"The only reason Aerith is up is because we lit a torch. Everything else in here gets sucked off as soon as it gets made." Marlene added.

At that point, Aerith stepped a bit wrong on a piece of rock. Giving out a mild cry, she faltered to the ground, just able to catch herself with her hands before falling completely. Azure, the closest one at this point, quickly ran to her side and grabbed her around the waist before she could go down any further.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Dizzy is all…" Aerith lied. The place was still draining her. She needed to get farther away. "Help me get out from this cursed temple…"

Azure hesitated only momentarily on hearing it referred to as that, but then quickly nodded. Soon, he exerted his own power and was helping Aerith back to her feet, and then guiding her along as she stepped away through the rubble. As she finally began to make it to the threshold and beyond, she began to feel bits of power slowly start to stream back into her…

"Wait…how did you two break back in here?" Denzel finally asked. "It took us hours to get in the first time…"

Shelke's stoic look turned a bit grimmer at that. "…Most of the army is gone now. Diablos has made his move, taking all of the espers with him."

"That explains it, then…" Aerith murmured aloud, gaining everyone else's attention once again as she walked out with Azure's help. "Why I'm sensing his full power now. He's brought it all to bear along with whatever he's done…which Marlene and Denzel tell me is quite a lot.

"At any rate…" Shelke continued, turning back to the two teens. "There were only Diablos' twisted monks here to disable. More reinforcements have been called, I'm sure, but with only a skeleton crew manning this base I was able to get us around more of the trouble points and keep us more secretive."

Aerith's breath suddenly caught a moment later, causing another distraction to gain everyone's attention. At that moment, she was just emerging fully into the main outer court of the temple. Despite the draining effect it had even at a distance, Aerith felt stronger all the time now. She could even get her feet under her a little again at this point. However, what had caused her to startle as she had wasn't that, but what she saw gathered out front of the temple in an unconscious heap.

At first appearance, it appeared to be a large number of dark cloaked individuals. However, some of them had their hoods pulled back or parts of their clothing to one side, revealing what was beneath. What was revealed was a twisted, grotesque abomination…neither symmetrical nor ordered in any seemingly natural or rational way. The woman nearly stopped before being able to go on at seeing them like that. No monster or mako mutation was like this on Gaia. This was something else entirely…something that she knew had to be the work of Diablos. It appeared the children didn't know just how far his evil had gone…

It didn't take long for Denzel and Marlene to come over and see what had caused Aerith to gasp as she had. On arrival, however, Marlene gave out a larger gasp before stepping back, hiding the sight from her view once again. Denzel looked similarly disgusted, but in his typical chain of behavior, he turned to Azure as he continued to help the Cetra down the path. "Why didn't you kill these things?"

Azure snapped to Denzel immediately. To Aerith, it seemed as if he was trying to stop Denzel before he did something wrong. On seeing this…the Cetra automatically made the connection before Azure even had a chance to say anything. The thought chilled her blood and turned her insides. With full command of magical abilities, Aerith knew well that there were spells that could temporarily turn regular people into frogs or shrink them or some other mild malady that would wear off within a few hours. However, now that she was outside and her extrasensory perception was able to pick up more on the amounts of magic being used, and the evil that went along with it, she began to see just how much had been poured out on these poor souls. It was horrible…no doubt just a sample of how Diablos wished to twist the natural order to suit his macabre tastes…

"No, don't kill them! Don't do anything to them! It's like what happened to mom and dad!"

Denzel's face turned to puzzlement. "…Huh?"

"…I'm alright now, Azure. I can stand here." Sure enough, Aerith felt well enough to stand on her own two feet now, and the ground was far more even. She was still feeling stronger all the time too. However, that wasn't the main reason Aerith interjected. That last phrase of Azure had chilled her blood even further. The worst had happened. It filled the Cetra with new fear and terrors, not to mention sadness and horror, and she knew it would fill Denzel with even more anguish and rage. Therefore…she wanted it to stop. She didn't want to hear about it right now. It wasn't for the sake of sparing her emotions exactly…but for the sake of keeping her focus. She knew now that she would have to soon be off in a weakened state. And against this foe, she realized she had to have all of her focus. She couldn't afford to get captured or drained again… And right now, she had a feeling Denzel and Marlene didn't need to hear it either.

At any rate, Azure turned back to her and after hesitating a moment released her. Once he did, the woman immediately exhaled and closed her eyes. The draining effect was still blocking her senses, but they required little energy to operate, and were still much clearer from outside. Besides…the figures she was searching for took very little time to acquire. It wasn't long before she sensed something to the southwest, where everyone had been headed…

"…I can sense over half a dozen large auras in Junon's direction." She announced at last. "Four of them are dark…or evil. The largest one is one of them. The next largest…is pure…purer than anything I've ever sensed before… It has to be Alexander."

Denzel forgot about Azure's comment momentarily and raised his eyes to that. "So Alexander's out? Great!"

"But…did you just say his power was only the second largest?" Marlene added uneasily.

"By a large margin, unfortunately…" Aerith darkly answered. "And the gap is slowly widening. The dark one has to be Diablos…and although he's burning through his own power…the drain is far too slow. He'll have enough power to destroy all the other large ones himself by the time Alexander's is gone."

Azure's own face turned uncomfortable. "…And you said that there were three more on his side…"

"What of the others on our side?" Shelke asked.

"There's three more. One is good…better than most spirits. Someone noble and strong. But it's the weakest out of the ones I can sense, and the way it resonates indicates struggling and straining. The other two seem to resonate together, almost as if they were one…but the differences in power are too great. One is clearly stronger than the other."

"So what does it all mean?" Denzel spoke up again. "Are we winning or losing?"

Aerith's eyes opened. She turned her head and looked back to the others, her fair green gaze more vivid than before, but also harder.

"Strength of one's inner energy doesn't necessarily indicate certainty of victory. It won't be easy, but the three smaller dark powers can be beaten conceivably. Diablos, on the other hand… Only the thinnest ray of hope there. Maybe less. I doubt Alexander can do it…"

Azure let out a sigh in response. "So what can we do?"

The Cetra answered by cracking her neck a bit. Her body was loosening up, and she was still feeling progressively stronger. That said…she realized she was nowhere near where she needed to be. Unfortunately she still believed this had to end now. They couldn't let Diablos get another Cetra or start this again, and this was her sister anyway out there. And he had already done too much to her friends and family. She couldn't let him rebuild now. She believed her power was regained enough for flight, and so she hesitated only a bit longer before speaking again.

"Get the twins and Ragnar out of here and as far away as possible. Hopefully, they'll recover quickly too. Whatever happens, don't let Ragnar come after me."

"Excuse me?" Azure began to say. The other two began to advance, probably to try and talk Aerith out of it again. However, the Cetra didn't pause any longer. It took a few moments longer than usual, but she turned back, closed her eyes, and focused until she felt her power coming to her. Abruptly, those behind her recoiled as a burst of holy light went out, the result of her radiant angel wings suddenly forming behind her. Her clothing was already on, and soon began to flap and shimmer at the energy she summoned about herself. For once, she was not happy to find out that her power was well below "god-like". Unfortunately, that's all she could bring forth. She only hoped it was enough, although right now she doubted it…

As her aura fully flared to life, the woman turned her attention toward the direction of the cleanest air…down a long train tunnel stretching in front of her. Making fists with her hands, she flapped her wings once to launch herself into the air, arched forward, fixed her wings into position, and then took off down the tunnel at a supersonic speed for the outside of DeepGround.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	34. Drink on the House

Krystea's body flew through the air for about thirty feet before toppling back down to the ground, slamming shoulder first into a badly-placed/abandoned hot dog cart. The impact sent into a collapse and her grinding against it a moment later, tearing open one of her suit sleeves. She managed to stop soon after, but still lay for a moment before being able to rise. The impact was painful and she felt her body throbbing, but the real reason she had to was because of exhaustion. She had been running too long from these things…and they weren't letting up for a moment.

Despite her agony, Krystea grit her teeth and forced herself to roll up a bit. She soon elevated her head, and began to stagger back up, going into a crab position and pushing off of the cart debris around her back onto her legs. Yet even as she rose, she looked ahead to see who had been the true target for that previous attack. Despite the ice woman's best intentions, she wasn't able to keep the purple one back indefinitely. Now, that one was blasting her away with some sort of colossal power being produced from that opening in it, smashing large pieces of rubble and pavement he had inhaled into her. Each one was making her cry out, and she was only vainly shielding herself from the blows as they battered her back. After a moment longer, she was yanked off of her feet entirely and sent crashing into the road, where she began to tumble violently in Krystea's direction. All of this action was about half a block away, but just catching the downdrafts of the wind attack had ripped Krystea off of her feet and sent her for her violent topple a moment ago.

Nevertheless, the Turk bore down and got back to her legs. As soon as she could, she turned around and continued to hobble down the street. She was nearly to her destination. By now, she realized that she couldn't run forever. She'd be caught eventually. And these things had more stamina than her as well. She'd tire out long before they did. Besides, this ice woman was the only one who seemed to be capable of protecting her at the moment, and she was fading fast. She had to strike back herself, somehow. And at the moment, the only thing that came to mind was an idea born from when she began to run down this road, realizing where she was headed…

_Oh no…_

That was when she spotted it again. The purple one wasn't a factor at the moment. It was too busy running around with the ice woman. And despite her injuries, she was forcing herself back up and planting her legs on the street, trying to keep herself from grinding any further. Also, the purple one couldn't blast her indefinitely. Eventually it would have to cut off and inhale again, and when it did Krystea knew it would counterattack. No…her attention wasn't on them. It was directed toward the sky. That trail of orange light was starting to form again…

She couldn't believe it. Strong as it was, that "derailment" should have left some sort of greater impression, she thought… But apparently not. The train thing was up and coming around once again. At the moment, it seemed to be angling down to the ground and attempting to turn sharply at the same time, to aim itself at her again, no doubt. But it was going too wide. It wouldn't be able to make it at its current speed. That bought her some time, however little. With that in mind, she turned fully back around and ran again, even as the orange lights forming tracks in the sky began to vanish below the skyline and toward the street a block or so away…

Her destination loomed just ahead. It had managed to survive most of the destruction thus far. Aside from a few taped pieces of broken glass that made up the front of it, the building seemed undamaged and, more importantly, unlooted. It was another lucky break for Krystea. That meant what she sought might still be there. That was, of course, unless a prowler had managed to come in the back. That, unfortunately, was likely. The place she was headed for _was_ a bar, after all. And a rather nice one…one that kept Reno and Rude entertained for at least two years by now. Lots of drunks or vandals might have wanted its liquor. Of course, it was a little late and inconvenient to be worrying about that…

Despite the fact that it had to be less than fifty yards away, Krystea's limp made it seem like miles. She managed to slowly regain more footing as she limped along, however, skirting over debris littering the pavement and picking up speed until she was approaching a more hobble/jog. Even as she reached this point, however, something occurred that made her blood run cold again. The ground shook once and then gave a quickly descending rumble. It nearly shook her off of her feet again, and might have if she wasn't at least somewhat preparing for that moment. She recognized the vibration and the sensation from earlier, however…when the same monster had derailed and struck the ground. Obviously, it had touched down on the street and was much closer than it had been from her the last time it crashed. She had no idea if it could plow through buildings…but she didn't want to find out.

Krystea put on more speed as the rumbling died down, forcing herself through pain this time as she went into a run. It worked. Soon the establishment and the building it was in began to grow in her vision. Twenty yards from the front of the bar. Fifteen yards. Ten yards…

The bloodcurdling roar, resonating from three different sources, was so abrupt, sudden, and (worst of all) nearby that it could have frozen the woman in place all on its own. However, it was the sound of an accompanying explosion going off behind her coupled with a searing flash of red hot pain across her backside, and the feeling of the eruption ripping into her that truly sent her for a loop, literally. Her brain continued to try and process what exactly had happened in her mixture of emotions and mental stress as she was flung off of her feet again, cast the rest of the way forward, and straight for the front of the bar. It was only due to her own training and instincts that she was able to throw her arms in front of her in time.

There was a brief feeling of resistance against her front side before the force of her body punched through the glass. A shower of deadly shards, ripping into her suit in most places and slicing across her flesh in others, resulted as her body toppled forward through the front pane of the glass and into the bar. Unfortunately, only her upper body had the force to go through the glass. Her lower body did not, and it was rather painful for her torso to strike the half-broken front pane and then spill over it into the bar. The jagged edge of the glass cut into her middle, and had she not been wearing her full suit it would have sliced all the way into her belly. As it was, it only cut through her suit coat, pants, and shirt before she dumped over the edge. She landed a moment later, glass still dancing around her, crashing to the floor of the bar. She landed on her shoulders this time before gravity yanked her body over the rest of her and sent her falling to the ground on her back. She nearly missed landing on her head, and even so her neck still strained and popped as she halted. At any rate, as the glass fell down around her, she lowered her own bleeding, torn arms and let them fall to the side, as her bruised and sweaty face looked up and out again.

It took her a moment to sort out the fact that she was looking at the world upside down now, and the confusion of the purple monster and the ice woman still battling it out nearby was an additional item of disorientation…but it didn't take much to notice the great gray body of the three headed dog only a few dozen feet away. She saw its drool begin to drip from its jaws as its red eyes focused on her, arching its back and preparing to pounce and rend. Its mouths smoldered as red light poured from them, obviously the source of the blast it had made. However, it was holding off, staying to one side now. Krystea didn't know why immediately…but it became clear before long, as she twisted her body over slowly and forced herself back onto her stomach. She started to push up with her palms forcing down on broken glass, ignoring the cutting feeling into her skin…

That was when she heard the noise. She didn't hear a chugging or running with it this time…but she did hear the large, sounding blare that unnaturally mimicked a train whistle. It took moments for her to realize the direction, and snap her head to it. Just up ahead, around the block…not far from where it had to have come down a moment ago. Until now, she wasn't even aware if it had any other form of locomotion… But it had to have some. She could hear the ground rumbling, beginning to quiver as it moved its body forward. A moment later, it started to come around the side…and she saw it clearly, perhaps the first human who had done so yet.

There was little mistaking it for a train now. It was "train-shaped", but that was about it. It was more insect like…covered with some sort of ridges of an exo-skeleton, if train skeletons even existed. The rest of it was made of black, ebony flesh, seeming to be stretched out between the "frames" of the skeleton. That portion of it was some sort of bright orange color, vivid yet unnatural. The bones seemed to be more centered toward the bottom of it, and more thick and close together…as if it was a real train and giving it more support underneath. They appeared to be overlain, reinforced ribs and spinal sections, which seemed appropriate. But some of the bones were stretched out over twisted sections as if they were gruesome spiders or parasites clinging to the monster. The thing had no visible limbs, and did appear to move around either through hovering or from unseen underneath appendages that might have been wheels for all Krystea knew.

The "head" or "engine", whatever you preferred, was the worst. Unlike the rest of the body, it appeared to have a true "skull". In fact…that's mostly what it was…some horrible, distended, disfigured white bony skull that made some sort of gruesome face. It had eyes…yellow, glowing ones. They stared out from black sockets with emotionless, cold, frightening feeling…isolated and eerie. The mouth was drawn back into some look of misery…as if it was expressing the ideas and feelings of a thousand tortured, miserable souls. Worst of all, however, was the area over it. Framed around with another one of those twisted bone arrangements was its "main headlight". Krystea couldn't make out if any natural or artificial source was creating it, but frankly she doubted anyone could. All she knew was it gave out a bright, putrid green color, and even looking at its glow filled her with nausea and weakness. There was little denying it…it was the train monster.

And within a few seconds of bringing out its first "car", it orientated the engine part of its body around to glare at Krystea with its lifeless, hollow eyes. The green light burst forth and shone on her, and immediately Krystea felt her vision and hearing dim as her stomach turned into knots. Quickly, she slammed her eyes closed and brought a hand up in front of her to block away the glare. It helped slightly…but it wasn't long before she was telling herself something different mentally. _Great move, Krystea…now you can't even see it._

Using what little bearings she recovered from her respite as well as trying to block away the sickening glare, Krystea grit her teeth and forced herself up and back onto her knees. She needed her arms to push herself fully up, but she still had to use them to block out the light. Puting her arms in front of her to keep the glare back, she cracked open her eyelids and looked again to see what it was trying.

An expected sight greeted her. The three headed one was in the corner of her vision, staying backed away. But the fires that formed the creature's tracks were already lighting up again, spreading on a straight line down the road from where the train was coming right toward her. She supposed she could have expected this… However, this time, it looked as if the ice woman couldn't come to her rescue. She was back on her feet and blasting ice crystals at the purple monster again. Her head did turn between it and the train, but it looked as if she was too strained to hold off both. That meant the Turk could expect little help there…

More of the train came around, and as it did it seemed to hiss and sputter, making engine-like noises within its head once again. Krystea turned back to it as best she could, although she was still unable to look directly at it, and realized she had to stop it herself. How, though, was a mystery to her. She had a plan up until now…but not for something so huge. She thought it would be down longer. As tension began to overrun some of her sickness, she realized she had to do something soon. She supposed she had to continue with her plan…try to make it behind the bar and…

Too late. Even as she thought about this, the creature let out another blast and began to move forward again. It lurched slow enough at the start…but within instants, far faster than any true train, it began to pick up velocity. The woman snapped out of her line of thinking. Quickly, she placed her hands down to push herself the rest of the way up. Bad move. The light was now free to fully bathe her in its glow, and it grew stronger as it came nearer. In moments, she was so sick and weakened from it that she wasn't even able to put enough force down to push off of the ground. Her hands just weakly landed on top of the glass, and she was immobilized as the monster picked up speed dramatically and raced right for her. The woman cursed herself. She took too long…now she was dead…

The train monster didn't seem to care. It only continued to pick up speed as it passed the halfway point, beginning to approach the speed of a real train. Krystea's vision again nearly blacked out from the green light. But right before she could, she managed to see something else. A tiny black figure appeared, seeming to suddenly pop out of the ground right in her path…

Moments later, Krystea felt her sickness fade and her vision light up again as the green light in her path was somewhat blocked and seemed to suddenly dip in power. As her arms suddenly received enough force to spontaneously raise her up from the ground once more, she looked up and saw a surprising sight. The train monster in front of her was crumpling into a mass, like a real train's cars would do if the main engine suddenly hit an immovable object. It made a tremendous racket as it came forward…but ultimately, Krystea's vision focused through this noise to what was the cause.

The figure was standing in front of the train. It was odd. It was only a few feet tall…but it had the shape of a minotaur. What more, despite its tiny size, it had dug its hooves into the ground and braced its shoulder in front of it, apparently turning itself into a living roadblock for the train monster. It had worked, obviously. The train, at full speed, might have ripped the minotaur off of its feet and sent it for a tumble, but at the lower velocity it had simply crashed into the minotaur and been forced to an abrupt halt. Its body was actually bending down over the top of it, deforming its "face" as it crumpled against the beast. The green headlight had been forced to angle down, away from Krystea and toward the minotaur itself. That was why she was able to look at it. However, what remained the biggest surprise of all was that something so tiny was holding the train back.

At any rate, the train didn't appear to like it. It had barely finished crumpling against the minotaur when, like the crack of a giant's whip, its length of "cars" snapped out and straightened again, moving behind it. It was terrible to watch…like some Midgar Zolom snapping its tail and fracturing the pavement and area around it. As soon as it did, it planted its wheels or whatever invisible appendages it had against the ground and began to make a horrible, squealing noise. The engine sounds it made began to fire up as well, and soon picked up in volume and frequency. Black smoke began to burn from the top of it, like a real overworked engine. When this happened, the minotaur immediately readjusted his feet and placed both palms up and on the front of the engine. He was repositioning to hold it back. However, the train responded by turning the green light on him even more…and when it did the minotaur soon began to quiver and buckle. Krystea saw this and realized it had to be afflicting it just as it had to her. And now, it continued to pick up speed, and continued to make its opponent strain. Slowly, the knees of the minotaur began to bend…and it seemed as if it was a matter of time before the train ran it down.

Krystea was moments from turning and getting out of the way before it broke, knowing enough at this point not to be too fixated on strange creatures coming to her aid or attacking her, but found herself cut off when the ground abruptly gave a thunderous crack. It was so loud and potent that it forced her to pause in surprise. The sound erupted from the monster train, but despite that it didn't seem to actually come from the bizarre creature. Her suspicions to that fact were confirmed a moment later when, to her further amazement, a huge slab of ground about the size and length of the engine and two cars, and positioned right under the same, suddenly fractured and was hoisted into the air about three feet. The fracture was perfectly between the small minotaur and the front of the engine, and so when it was suddenly jerked upward the small minotaur found himself freed. As if expecting that, the minotaur immediately turned and bolted to the side.

As for the train, now that it was no longer held back it began to chug forward for a few moments. However, it was now on uneven ground, and the engine began to topple off of the side of the raised concrete just to have more of its body get caught up getting dragged onto it from behind. The monster seemed to pause on realizing this, appearing to notice its situation for the first time.

That delay cost it, because whatever was beneath the earthen slab wasn't finished. Abruptly, the entire raised portion of ground exploded straight into the air. The dull yellow eyes of the train almost seemed to enlarge before they shot into the sky. Despite the fact that its entire body wasn't under the slab, the force that launched the stone seemed enough to send the rest of its long body shooting up after it, training behind and flapping in the wind like a tail of a kite. Krystea looked up in amazement as she saw the train shoot for the heavens like a rocket, and soon begin to rapidly grow smaller as the lift continued to force it upward.

Looking down a moment later, she saw the cause. A second minotaur, this one much larger and stronger looking, had been underneath the ground beneath the train. The small one had apparently only held it still long enough for the bigger one to launch it into the air. Krystea was a bit confused, however. These looked like two minotaurs now…and she didn't remember hearing anything about two of them being on their side…

Nevertheless, as she watched, the little one cracked his neck, seeming to snap out of his sickness, and then walked up to the larger one, giving a nod as he did so. A tiny, piping, comical voice soon began to come from its lips.

"whew…nice work, sacred. now for the finisher."

In response, the large one looked down to him…and seemed to grow…uneasy?

"…DO WE HAVE TO?" A large, air-shaking, and yet cowering voice answered back.

"come on, before he touches down." The little one answered, putting up a fist in the air.

Extremely reluctantly, the big one, hand shaking all the way, put up his own arm and slowly made a fist. Despite the differences in size, Krystea realized, the small one appeared to call the shots. Yet what was more puzzling to her was a moment later as both minotaurs held fists in front of each other.

"alright…together now!"

The big one grunted, but then, right along with the small one, pumped his hand three times while calling out along with him.

"1…2…3!"

To Krystea's surprise, she realized what this was a moment later.

_They're…roshamboing?_

Sure enough, they had to be. The big one left his hand in a fist, while the other one spread his fingers out and made a flat palm. Instantly, the small one smiled while the big one's jaw dropped in misery.

"paper wraps rock. i win."

"AGAIN?!" The big one bellowed. "BUT ROCK IS HARD! WHY DOESN'T IT EVER RIP THROUGH PAPER?!"

The little one apparently didn't care to explain. Instead, he immediately reached over with both hands and seized the big one, placing one hand on his middle and the other reaching to grab part of a lower leg. The little one flexed for a moment, and then, bellying his size, effortlessly flung the huge one into the air with the slightest repositioning gesture. Not only did he do that, but he flung him much harder and faster than the big one had thrown his own load. Soon, the big one was flailing like a headless chicken and crying out wildly as his body rocketed into the sky, right after the mass that he had thrown.

However, as far as an actual impact was concerned, all that Krystea ever detected was the sound of a rather loud crash resulting from the fracturing of concrete and a collision between two large bodies. She didn't see this, because at that moment, the three headed dog, seeming to realize it wasn't going to get any assistance, turned its heads back to the woman and fired again. Not directly at her, but toward her feet and in front of her body.

At any rate, Krystea's concentration was soon broken as a wall of light appeared in front of her from the force of the energy eruptions, and before she could even react enough to shield herself she already felt bits of energy tearing into her already rapidly-deteriorating suit and heat blasting her. Despite having just regained her bearings, the force of the eruption soon jarred her painfully and ripped her back off of her feet once again, flinging her backward more violently and powerfully than any attack had done so yet. Once again, there was a feeling of the ground beneath her disappearing as she lifted off into the air…

…And a moment later a sharp cut off as her body smashed into a series of shelves lined with bottles of liquor. Despite the pain and jarring effect, she had enough of her senses to realize she had been flung clear over the counter for the bar and made a hard impact against the back wall of liquor. This time, however, as she smashed into the wall of glass and broke over a dozen bottles, splashing the liquid all over her, she felt the shelves digging into her back and bits of jagged glass breaking and cutting into her. This time, she could feel blood being drawn as the shards decorated her back. She stifled a cry of pain before her body peeled off of the wall again and collapsed to the floor. But this time, she was so agonized and in pain that she merely formed a pile against it, collapsing to the ground in a heap, landing on more debris and bits of glass as she did so.

Krystea clenched her teeth and let out a hiss of pain in response to this latest act of treating her body like debris…but other than that did not move right away. She had been jarred too painfully. She could feel blood running into her shirt along her back, and her arms and hands were now cut up from landing on the curved remains of bottles around her. Her entire body throbbed and she felt like she had definitely snapped a few ribs…and hoped a vertebrae wasn't in that mix as well.

However, in the midst of all of this, she still began to hear the floor on the other side of the bar creak. Bits of dust came down from the already crumbling ceiling, and she got the feeling of a rather large presence making its way into the bar. Moments later, she began to hear its three heads speaking in unison…

"_Damn traitors… Well…just because Doomtrain is keeping busy with those two backstabbing sons-of-Magi, don't let that make you think that you're off the hook. Do me a favor and come out, girlie. Save yourself a lot of pain. I'm gonna take you to see that witch sister of yours…"_

_I'll give this to these creatures…_ Krystea thought in response. _You've got to love how their egos always give you another shot…_

Although her entire body still ached, the woman grit her teeth tighter and forced her body to pull itself up slightly off the floor to look just in front of her. Before long, her eyes were focusing on the backside of the bar, and found exactly what she wanted. As the owner had gone insane earlier from whatever spell the espers were using, it had occurred to her that no one would have gotten this even when the city was scrambling for weapons yesterday. And sure enough, just what she needed was behind the bar: the owner's shotgun.

Krystea only took a moment to locate one other item: a jar of pickled jalapenos. Keeping those in mind and their location, she quickly seized the weapon, twisted it around, and aimed it straight out and away from the bar to whatever had sounded on the other side, trying to focus on the voice "in the middle". The gun was pump-action, so there should have been a few rounds worth inside of it…but the question was how many? At the most, she doubted more than five shells were inside…

_Hope he kept it fully loaded…_ She said with a prayer before cocking and pulling the trigger.

Krystea had heard enough earlier from the relayed, swapped stories and her own experiences with the news to know that the three headed dog wasn't slow. Hence, even as she fired off the gun, she was already summoning what reserves she still had to force herself off the ground and half dash, half leap to the side. She watched as the buckshot ripped a hole through the wood of the bar and saw a gray mass on the other side, but that was all she saw before tearing away. She shifted her grip to one hand and shot out another hand as she shot up, seizing the pickled jalapenos as she rose. A moment later, the bar was annihilated, as the massive three heads of the dogs shot forward and obliterated the wood, all three smashing through it and three sets of jaws biting down. Krystea was still on her way up and onto her feet as she came by, however, and aside from catching a bit more splinters and debris felt nothing.

She wasted little time. As a Turk or hand-to-hand fighter, you had to be able to control your force and grasp of things. Hence, despite the ruined bar, she was able to quickly give an underhanded throw with the jar and toss it across the bar area, which now, she saw, was mostly dominated by the huge bulk of the three-headed dog. There were glimpses of fighting outside, but she didn't focus on that. Instead, her other hand shifted to the cocking mechanism and, with one fast gyration of her arm, she ejected the shell. As she tore for the wall, she quickly shifted the gun into both hands and launched in another move. She leapt off of the ground and sailed straight for a higher area of the wall ahead of her, reaching out a foot to intercept it.

It was a good thing too. One moment, the beast was growling and snarling over the back of the bar…the next he was shooting for her legs, moving so fast she didn't even see him turn. Nevertheless, she only felt hot breath against her shoes as she shot into the sky and made for the wall. While doing so, she twisted around and looked down to see the three heads lashing out below her. The trigger was pulled again, and buckshot rained down on the skulls of the heads. The impact of the gun was sufficient to force her back even further while in midair, so that her foot touched down against the wall a second later. She used that plus her forward momentum to immediately touch off of it in a pivot, sailing back for the ground at the angle away from the beast…and toward the jar.

_So far, so good…_ Krystea thought as she ejected another shell. Once again trying to anticipate the movements of this beast, she immediately engaged in another move when she landed back on the ruined floor. Quickly, she engaged in a set of splits and dropped her forward torso down to the ground simultaneously. Another good move…for it was only seconds after that her ears throbbed from a triple roar as the gray monster sailed overhead with jaws open and claws outstretched, apparently trying to leap and lunge at her this time. The lunge itself was too fast even for Krystea to track…but as she bent her body as low as possible and then rotated on the ground, spinning herself onto her back instead, the beast came in for a landing, and based on its speed was stopped for a moment as its paws dug into the pavement and it dragged. That gave Krystea another moment to send another spurt of gunfire after it, this time blasting it against its rear end.

An only-somewhat-unexpected reaction resulted. Krystea didn't have much time to focus on how much pain she was inflicting, but the beast appeared to give an angry snarl and lean up a bit, hesitating. Krystea quickly used that moment to roll to the side, going closer to the jar, and eject another shell. However, she also realized what it meant. At least one of her buckshot pieces must have sailed…inside. The humor of it wasn't what got her to think, however. It was the fact that the monster was clearly shrugging off her normal shells when she hit it on the skin. Even her shot at its heads had been high against the skull. However, if she could give a more internal hit, one around its gray hide… _After all…didn't these things get killed by swords and arrows according to myth? There's got to be some vulnerable spot…_

At any rate, Krystea only rolled once before getting up into a four-legged scramble and going for the jar. However, she kept an eye on the monster. True to her hopes, it took longer for it to turn around completely than for a simple side turn as she had seen before. However, it wasn't stunned long from her previous hit. Before reaching the jar, she realized it was going to be on her. Seeing this, as she was nearly to the jar, she quickly tucked her body up and into a new position while still moving forward.

A second later, and she saw the gray mass solidify right in front of her, towering over her body. Krystea wasted no time and only hoped she was right. The moment she saw the blur occur, she threw herself into a forward roll as fast as she could. Although she felt the back of her suit get a bit torn, it worked. The beast had materialized directly in front of her, and then attempted to shoot down and bite her with its teeth from all three heads again. Now, springing back would have been easier…but it would have given the monster a clear shot of her, and it would have been able to follow up with more attempts, forcing her to back up and away from the jar. Instead, she had gone forward, under its large gray body and let its teeth hit nothing while getting away from it.

Once under the body, Krystea used the creature's distraction for one thing. She spun around on her back, pressed the muzzle of her weapon against its belly, and fired from point blank range. Although she saw no blood result or come flying at her, the beast overhead did give another angry yelp. If anything, she hoped the impact at least knocked the wind out of it. Apparently, she was right on that regard, as she soon discovered. While she recocked her weapon, the monster's legs became wobbly. It began to stagger and quiver over her, indicating that it might collapse on top of the woman and crush her flat in a moment. Keeping that in mind, the Turk quickly scrambled backward using her legs while remaining on her back, raking herself over more debris but not caring.

It took only moments for Krystea to finish sliding out from under the beast. Just as she had hoped, it took even longer for it to turn to her. She had managed to stun it, and now it was struggling on its legs to turn around to face her. She remained on her back, however, becoming a clearer target. Instead, she used her skill at marksmanship to quickly zero out one of the monster's eyes on the central head. She said this for it…seeing those three heads darting around did make an opponent disorientated…made them unable to decide which one to go for. But she did. Right eye…center head. Soon it spotted her, and growling and gnashing its teeth, it finished turning. Now was the time. She would have wanted it to open a mouth and give it a shot in through the skull, but the monster bit down too fast. There was no guarantee she wouldn't get sliced open. And so, instead, she took careful aim as it faced her and squeezed the trigger.

_Click._

Krystea's skin turned white as her heart sank. She was paralyzed for a moment, dumbly holding that gun out in front of her, as the echo of that empty chamber went through her brain. An old story she had heard yet forgotten until now suddenly went through her memory…

_Only ever had to use the damn thing once. Bunch of looters try and hit me during New Year's last winter. Held it in the air and fired off a round…and they ran like sparrows hearing a tree branch snap._

Reality snapped back rather hard as she felt flecks of hot drool spray against her face…the result of a massive jaw snapping down on the shotgun barrel. A second later, the head snapped and tossed it aside. Krystea came to quickly at that, and would have scrambled for it…but it was already too late for that. A massive paw came down and proceeded to pin her body to the floor. Claws extended over her shoulders and around either side of her neck, so long and curved that they were almost like shackles coming down and touching the ground, anchoring her to it. Three very angry, hot faces leaned down over her. Teeth filled her vision and she could see red light coming from their throats.

It was impossible to move. Her legs and arms were free, but against such a massive beast rippling with muscle, Krystea didn't see what traditional martial arts would do. About all she could do was flail around and try to find a sharp, sturdy piece of debris and use it to stab him…assuming anything around her was strong enough to break the skin. The monster didn't seem to mind, however. It glared only at her.

_"You and your kind always do the same thing…trying to hurt me with those little rock throwers. Well guess what, stupid? You _did_ this time. Two of those things actually smarted."_

Krystea kept struggling to feel. Her fingers closed around things. A splinter? Too small. Glass? Too dull of a piece. There's something round…

_"Seeing as you're just going to be a living corpse for Diablos and not doing anything more but breathing every few seconds… I'm guessing he won't mind if I rip off your arms and legs. I'm feeling hungry…and _pissed._ Bad combination, missy…"_

Krystea's fingers fumbled a bit more to get the round object…roll it back to her… At last, she managed to do so and felt some relief inside. The jar. With one hand, she quickly grabbed the end of it with the lid and snapped it hard, unrolling it while forcing it to angle up. In doing so, by the time she got it off she lost some fluid and jalapenos, but not all. Her hand threw the lid aside and grabbed the jar sides.

"You're hungry?" She echoed back to the monster, quickly noting how close all three faces were and where. Her grip tightened on the jar. "Have an appetizer on me."

The Turk immediately yanked up the jar and proceeded to throw it with the opening outward in a wide arc…flinging the contents of the jar forward and splashing them over the eyes, noses, and mouths of the three canine heads glowering over her.

Another memory registered…one Reno had told her years ago. _Now dogs…they're a real pain in the ass. No two ways about that. Stubborn bitches and sons of bitches never let you go unless you kill them, and in my case that's not too good. Usually come at you from more than one side and while you're hitting one the other two sink their teeth into you. Pretty good at smelling you out too… Heh…in fact, too good. Find yourself a nice bit of powder or flammable liquid…make sure it gets in their noses… Heh…sit back and watch the fun._

Esper though it was, this thing appeared to be mostly dog. Hence, the effect of spraying their eyes, noses, and mouths with spicy hot juice, and especially making sure some got in there…

The monster was soon giving out the biggest set of roars yet and bellowing a steady stream of yelps, snarls, and curses in at least 20 different dead languages. It leaned back, removing its paws from Krystea, and turned its head to the sky, giving out endless snortings and sneezings as it shook all three heads violently, struggling to clear the fluid from them. Krystea quickly used the opportunity to scramble back before its heads went down again, and it began to furiously try and scrape at all three heads and noses at once with its two paws. Not satisfied with that, it reared its head up again and opened its mouth wide, bellowing in rage once again.

Krystea managed to get back onto all fours and was moments from scrambling back out of the bar and letting the monster fume…when it did something else. Either in pain or anger, or maybe both, it suddenly opened all three mouths wide and began to blast off energy waves in all directions. The Turk froze and quickly flattened herself on the ground again as crimson rockets shot out from its three heads, sailing into the bar, against the roof, over her head, into the sky, against the ground, and every other way she could think of. Unable to see or smell, it tried to decimate everything around it.

Doing so made things a bit more dangerous, and Krystea was not exactly safe on the ground from its blasts either. However, the woman nevertheless continued to scramble away as soon as she got a pattern for it. She winced a few times as blasts of dirt and rubble went up around her, sending fragments against her face, but in the end she was soon clearing it. As she went back into the street, where the other espers were still fighting but moving away from her immediate location, she risked getting back to her feet in a hunched position. She hesitated for a moment there, planning her next move.

She could run now…but it wouldn't take long for the beast to find her again. As soon as the juice cleared it would move. It was vulnerable now, but she had nothing to hit it with. She turned and looked around her a bit to see what was going on. To her surprise, both sets of fights now appeared to be in the sky. Nearest to her, she saw the purple monster and the ice woman battling it out in the air. They appeared to be grappling, and the ice woman, now with just one opponent, was pulling out all the stops against the purple one. She seemed intent to take him out of the fight, but he appeared to be bashing her back just as well. As for the train…it was now in the sky at least a half mile away. Its "tracks" were no longer orderly, but spread about in the sky and casting about one way and another. The large one appeared to be on top of its engine, beating away at it, with no sign of the small one. Her way was clear, on one hand. On the other…no one was left to help her.

_Running's no good… I have to take one of these things down. But how?_

As if it could read her mind…a child's voice answered.

"Here, use this!"

Krystea's head snapped to the direction of the voice. It came from overhead, toward her right. However, she had only managed to turn her head to the right when she detected a large, long object headed toward her. Instinctively, her hands extended, and as a result the object sailed right into them and landed with a click. The Turk looked down and saw what it was.

She was a bit surprised. It was a rifle…but not just any rifle. Her knowledge of guns immediately looked over the intricities and specialties over it, and she began to realize that she had seen most of the modifications that were around it only in schematics and theoretical blueprints for the next wave of advancement. It appeared to be the model of a Hydra…but something far advanced and personally modified. It looked to be beyond even the reported Hydra Omega class that they were supposed to come out with in twelve months… Far lighter…yet with a much stronger chamber… room for excessively large caliber bullets…like anti-tank rounds…

The Turk looked up again, all the way back up to the source of the voice this time.

Her eyes soon rested on the roof of one of the small buildings nearby. All she saw there was a girl no older than ten with long brown hair dressed in what looked to be engineering clothing, and a long, wide-brimmed hat over her head covering up most of her features. Yet even so…she could still detect a wide smile coming out from under that hat…something wily and mischievous.

"See you around…child of mine." The girl said, before turning and vanishing by moving farther back along the roof.

Despite her age…the features triggered Krystea's memory at once.

_…Colonel Maritza?_

A roar shook her out of her daze. Krystea looked up and snapped back to the source. It was the gray monster again. By now, it had recovered enough to stop firing wildly, and instead was staggering forward toward the woman. It forced its eyes to open periodically, and it could definitely see her in those moments. For now, the fluid in its nose was forcing it to keep hissing and snorting, leaving its mouths open, but it was recovering quickly. It wanted blood, and soon it would be back up to running speed.

Seeing this, Krystea was forced to compartmentalize her thoughts for a moment and think more about the creature. Immediately, she shifted her grip on her new rifle and quickly got ready. No time to work with it to practice, but if it was really Maritza…she expected it would work like a charm without having to adjust. There was one problem, she soon noted. The clip couldn't be more than six bullets. That was alright…one would be enough for this monster. She tightened up her muscles, expecting a heavy recoil despite what appeared to be large shock absorbers, and took aim at the beast's central head. No eyes this time. Instead, she zeroed in on its mouth, and tracked it effortlessly as she waited for it to open again. It held shut for what seemed like an excessively long time…but in the end, she did see it open…and open in such a way to expose the back of the skull.

_Perfect._ Krystea thought as she squeezed the trigger.

The recoil was indeed heavy, but not nearly as terrible as she thought it would be. The gun gave off the sound of a mini-cannon, quite similar to her own Valentine, and she snapped the barrel back a bit as it erupted from the gun. Nevertheless, she was still more than clear enough to see the shot's result. The bullet sailed straight into the mouth of the creature…and a large explosion of blood ripped out from the back of its central head a moment later.

Instantly, that head went lifeless and limp and fell down. Soon, Krystea was trying to covering her ears while holding onto the gun as she heard another roar, much larger, higher-pitched, and more intense than ever come out from the beast. If anything, killing one head made the other two that much louder and longer. Despite that, the thing slumped. Its rear legs collapsed, and it nearly fell on its face. Its front limbs, weak and wobbly, got in front of it and kept it balanced somehow, but it still staggered and dripped blood in front of it. The two heads continued to roar and gnash, but then quickly degenerated from rage into more pained howls. They more weakly turned about, and continued to give off their bleating noises. However, it was forced to lay there a moment, holding itself only up with two legs.

As it calmed down, Krystea snapped out of it herself. She saw it was still alive, and so she quickly went about ejecting the next bullet and preparing another one. Once it was loaded, she raised it again and aimed for the creature once more…and paused.

The thing wasn't charging or roaring or showing its teeth and energy anymore. Instead, cringing and weak, it struggled to get its rear legs back up. Its central head continued to hang lifelessly, and the two other heads looked to it. To Krystea's surprise, they soon began to lick it and nuzzle it, as if by doing so they could make it get back up. What more, she could actually see that tears were running from the eyes of the other heads. They might have been tears of pain from the burning juice…but somehow she doubted that was it. The thing continued to yelp and moan…and then almost seemed to whine. In the end, it turned its other two heads toward Krystea, while its jaw quivered and it continued to weep and whimper. There was still rage in its eyes, but it was drowned by pain and…sadness.

_"You…you killed…him…"_ It stammered. It whined again afterward. _"I…I…"_ It swallowed, and then let out an angry grunt. Suddenly, its voice turned violent. _"…Diablos can go to Hell! Him and his damn plan! I'll never let you live! Never! NEVER! You'll pay! Slowly! I'll rip you to bits! I'll make you cry! Make you BEG! I hate you! YOU AND ALL HUMANS!! DAMN YOU ALL!!"_

Then, without another word, the thing turned around, away from Krystea, and back toward the bar. It seemed to have enough strength in its legs to move now, and it did so. Although it couldn't move at blinding speed, it managed to break off into a run and proceeded to charge forward as if the bar wasn't even there. Giving out a mournful/angry roar, it burst straight through the back wall of the bar and kept on going, continuing to yelp and curse as it went along. At any rate, it continued to burst through the building behind it until it managed to emerge into the street on the other side. Once there, it disappeared. The sounds of its fuming faded to the tune of the damage it had left behind creaking, dropping, and settling. Krystea was alone.

The Turk was forced to hesitate. Something about that whole scene unnerved her. It was something she hadn't expected. She had thought of the thing as just some angry creature, and had never really considered the "relationship" it had with its heads… But she shoved that aside. Hardly a time for pity. The only really good thing was that she had gotten rid of another "bad" esper. Odds were evening out.

Recovering from that scene, the Turk instead looked back to the sky beyond. It took her only a moment to focus on the ice woman and the purple monster. At the moment, the purple one seemed to have overcome her. It was lashing out with one of its fists, and she was toppling back down through the sky. Krystea could understand that. Earlier, the woman had looked to be in pain, and likely she was draining what she had left to stop the esper. Well…Krystea could now even the odds. She raised her weapon again and began to draw a bead on the distant purple creature…

Yet as she put the sight of the weapon in line with the esper…her vision was shaken violently. And not only that. The largest crashing sound yet rang through her ears as the sounds of a few buildings being destroyed in one fell swoop rang out…and it happened nearby. The ground shook violently, as if a bomb had been dropped, and before Krystea could do anything else she was shaken off of her feet and fell back onto her rear again. The rifle toppled out of her hands and to the ground in front of her…which she now saw was bulging and cracking. Bits of pipes and other metal structures that made the layered streets of Junon broke the surface and pierced the heavens. Krystea struggled to see what had done this, when a cloud of dust washed over her, almost slamming into her body…another result of the terrific impact.

The ground continued to surge violently and tremble for almost fifteen seconds, and Krystea could only slam her eyes shut and struggle to guard herself. As she did, she heard creaking and groaning all around her…buildings that were already weakened being shaken even further and losing all support. Glass that hadn't been broken yet now shattered all around her, and a cracking sound continued to go out as whatever impact had landed continued to send violent tremors throughout the surrounding area. Krystea began to think a bomb really had gone off as she spat dirt from her mouth, only to have more blown into her nostrils and over her features.

When the tremors finally ceased, she continued to hear creaking and groaning on a large scale. However, this time, it seemed centered in one area in particular, the same area where the initial impact had occurred. She didn't open her eyes yet, still holding as the massive amount of dust and grime settled. Yet the creaking continued as all other tremors ceased. The wind was rough, and it seemed to pick up with time, eventually blowing off the rest of the clouds of dirt.

Only then did Krystea slowly crack open her eyelids, let her vision focus, and then saw what had happened.

It wasn't a welcome sight.

Krystea's orientation had turned slightly to the left at this point, and so now she was looking right at it. The great, majestic bulk of Alexander…now rusted and rotted in most places, riddled with holes in his metal, his holy light turned into a pale dim scarely resonating in the artificial darkness…was lying "face" down on top of the ruins of a few smaller buildings. He was smoldering from everywhere, but the most prominent point was at the shoulder areas, where there was nothing but blackened, thin, brittle, twisted metal. His appendages, tower-sized as they were, barely shifted against the ground. They seemed twisted and warped, but the figure appeared to be vainly trying to get them underneath him to get back up again. Yet he wasn't going that fast, and one didn't have to be a genius to realize it wasn't going to happen.

The Turk was only able to stare at the sight of the fallen, beaten Alexander for a moment before a more familiar figure arrived. His bats were gone, and as he descended she could see a few of his scales warped and bent. Talons came out and wiped an amount of blood off of a torso gash, and the back of an opposite hand came and wiped away more blood from the mouth. Yet the wings still calmly flapped as the form descended to land on Alexander's back and calmly stand there, not at all fearful of being attacked by what was beneath it.

The demon cracked his neck a bit and rotated his shoulders. He was breathing audibly now, but he only took in one more deep breath and released before he calmed down completely. His yellow eyes refocused and bore into Krystea. They were only a bit weaker…still producing more than enough power to freeze her in place and make her feel the same sensations of death and darkness.

"So much for your savior…" Diablos sneered.

* * *

Shiva had felt the impact and seen the cloud of dust dangerously close to where she had seen the human clone. Unfortunately, she could not worry about that now. When Krystea had appeared to gain an edge on Cerberus, she had thrown herself fully into battle with Pandemona, desperate to take him out while her reserves still lasted. Anything else that had happened there was forced to be compartmentalized. And right now, her situation was growing rather dire…

The ice esper continued to flail through the sky as she fell. Chasing after him had been foolishness on her part, which she blamed on exhaustion and battle damage. In the air, Pandemona couldn't be beaten…especially not considering how little energy Shiva had left. She couldn't have been doing that well since last night's injuries, and since then she had been keeping to the shadows and spending what magical power she could summon. She had managed to be effective thus far, but she was burning herself out. Now that she was risking her physicality to fight hand-to-hand, she had no force to back it up with.

Her blue eyes forced themselves to focus on the esper overhead. She saw he had already angled himself downward, and now was sailing down for her head first and fists to his sides. Biting down, she aimed a palm at him and quickly called up some of her ice power. All she got in response was a splitting headache and a quiver throughout her being. Dry. She didn't have anything left for power that intense. She tried a weaker one…and gave a wince this time. No power for that either? She thought of hitting him with the next level down…and realized that even if she had the power it wasn't going to do anything other than give him a bit of frostbite in the face.

Furthermore, the esper started to realize she was still sailing down to the ground, and weakened as she was she was likely going to break something on landing. And now she doubted she even had enough power to make herself levitate to prevent that. This fall could even be fatal. Unfortunately, she was forced to ignore the attacking esper for a moment, and instead focus on magical power. She closed her eyes and strained a bit, struggling to get some more of her ability out. Nothing came at first. However, she kept trying as she felt herself sailing closer and closer to ground…expecting a hard impact to cut her off at any moment…

Finally, she managed to gain enough power to start having some arcane words tumble from her lips. As she continued to fall, she felt the wind whipping around her gradually begin to level off. The feeling of gravity on her body slowly lessened. She cracked her eyes open again and turned away from Pandemona to the ground instead as she continued to feel the effects of the spell. To her shock, she was only a scant twenty feet from the ground. Nevertheless, she kept holding on, kept trying to pump the power into it. She didn't worry about flying out of it or any maneuvers. She just wanted to keep from going "splat"…

A second later, her body made contact with the ground. It was a bit rough, but nothing that she couldn't swallow back. She didn't have time to waste, however. She quickly cut back her energy and put her arms behind her. She began to yank back and scramble out of the way as fast as she could before Pandemona came down on top of her…

Too late.

A second afterward, and the purple esper sailed down like a rock and smashed his full weight and the top of his oddly shaped skull right down against one of Shiva's kneecaps. A large crack sounded out.

The blue eyes of the esper went wide before she clenched her teeth so tight she felt she would break them. She refused to scream…but she wanted to badly. Instead, she snapped her head back and spasmed in agony. Her leg instantly went into terrible pain and agony as it went limp. Her head came up and snapped back again additional times, hitting itself against the hard roof she had landed on but not caring.

As for Pandemona…being an air esper, it was easy for him to wait until he had brought down the full measure of his accumulated power on top of Shiva's knee before cutting himself off in midair, and then easily righted himself in the sky. Letting out an airy laugh, the purple esper hovered there and crossed his arms, mocking the ice esper's agony. Shiva herself continued to strain and moan against the ground a moment before she forced her one good leg to get up and help her arms make her slide away from Pandemona as fast as she could…which was about as fast as a slug runs from a bird. Pandemona waited on purpose for her to get out from under him, and then lightly touched down.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry…" He spoke in his light voice. "I've put you into a terrible amount of pain, haven't I? Well, don't worry. You won't be feeling it for much longer. In fact…you won't be feeling anything for much longer. But I think I'll let you try to pitifully escape for a few moments more."

Shiva leveled a cold stare at him as beads of sweat turned to ice running down her brow. Her breath was ragged and quick, and she was still stricken with pain. Nevertheless, she continued to try and scramble away from him. Doing so gave her precious seconds to recover as much of her magical stamina as possible. She was nearly drained…but she wasn't finished _knew_ when she was finished. Back with that clown hundreds of years ago…she thought she had no life left in her until those other humans came up to her. Then she discovered that even a dead dog can bite. At any rate, she wasn't as desperate as she was then. That didn't change the fact she still lacked the power to beat him, but she had a plan…

"I am going to enjoy this, Shiva." Pandemona continued. "One of the most legendary of all espers? And I'm the one who killed you? A real pity, however…you are quite a catch."

"And you look like a walking pile of vomit, you assymetrical freak." Shiva coldly retorted.

"You always were such an ice princess, if you catch my drift." Pandemona answered. Afterward, his arms began to uncross. She saw the holes in his shoulder begin to open. "I think you've lived long enough. I don't think I've ever sneezed up something quite so blue before. You should be a pretty colored blob."

As the esper's feet dug into the ground, Shiva stopped. She still felt tired, but she had no other choice now. Immediately, she took in a deep breath of her own and held it. She wasn't sure exactly how the laws of physics were altered within that monster. She wasn't sure if she'd retain full size after being twisted into a shape that could fit in the air holes or if she'd shrink to becoming nothing within them. She also knew air wasn't the only problem. It was pressure as well. The blowout of it would make her pass out even with her breath holding. There was no guarantee it would work…but nothing ventured…

Shiva reached out her arms and tried to flatten herself out and push away from Pandemona. Moments later, the thing's crest rose and he began to inhale. Still holding her breath, Shiva closed her eyes and bore with it. No ice crystals for him this time. Instead, she soon felt her ears pop as a reverse cyclone of air began to be sucked all around her. It didn't take long for her body to already start dragging toward Pandemona. She forced her arms to tighten up and push her back, and as a result bits of roof tile and cracked concrete were drawn in toward him instead. He didn't even shift weight as he increased the power, soon tugging against Shiva even harder. Her hair whipped in front of her face and tore straight for the center of the living vacuum. Her clothing began to yank away from her so hard that the straps dug into her back. But still, she hung on and bore down. Not yet…

Pandemona increased his airflow even more. Shiva dug her nails in and bore through it. However, it was getting hard at this point. The pressure was altering around her. She began to feel dizzy from all of it, and her head started to swim and throb. The world around her was gathering an ethereal quality to it…and she was being yanked forward more than ever. Finally, her legs were yanked out from beneath her and shot straight for Pandemona's open air holes. However, the pain jarred her back to her senses, and she used the moment to flip her body over and force what physical strength she had left in her toward her arms, using them to punch through the roof and hang on. It did little good. Soon, the area around it began to fracture and break in large pieces, all toward Pandemona. A faint light laugh was heard on the air. He wasn't trying yet. He was playing with her. He was letting her struggle as he built up more power. Nevertheless, Shiva continued to hold, and struggled to focus. She told herself to be ready to put all of her power into one final push…

Finally, it happened. The air esper reeled back a bit and forced true power into his lungs. When he did, the pressure dropped again, almost making Shiva swoon right there. The roof fractured completely, and the piece that Shiva was on broke into bits and was yanked back with hurricane force toward the air esper. The roof around Shiva quickly crumbled away, leaving her body alone sailing straight for the opening mouth at over a hundred miles an hour.

_Now._

And that's when she did it. Immediately, she used what was left of her failing consciousness to force herself into flight…toward Pandemona. The speed at which she approached was immediately doubled. She didn't have any senses to spare to see if she was clear, if Pandemona was surprised, or how she was doing. But she sailed toward his air holes even faster. Moments before entry, however, before she blacked out entirely…Shiva forced her last bit of power into her body…to gather ice around it from the surrounding moisture…to envelop her in a frozen crystal…and then reshape it into a very large, very sharply edged spike of ice.

Pandemona's yellow eyes widened, but it was too late. He was helpless to do anything else as he saw Shiva sail, with her own increased speed, straight into his lungs, shaped into a giant, lethally sharp, shard of ice. He normally deadened the space in the vacuum of his lungs on entry, immobilizing his prey until he sneezed them back out. But unlike the others he had captured in the past, she was purposely sailing into his lungs, and he had been so intent on drawing her in slowly that he wasn't thinking about catching her properly. He desperately tried to equate the balance once she sailed inside and vanished into his airholes, trying to stop it before it was too late…

And failed.

Like the sound of a gigantic wet balloon that abruptly was slashed open, purple and multicolored blood and fluids burst out from the back of Pandemona's lungs as Shiva's body, still incased in the giant ice shard, gashed through the fleshy substance and emerged from behind the wind esper. She sailed a few more feet before her own power, deadened in part by Pandemona's own efforts, gave out. She fell to the ground, and her ice coating immediately fractured on landing and broke off from her. Barely conscious, she slumped out among the ice pieces afterward, unable to move or act right away, just breathe and try to get her senses back.

It was a different story for Pandemona. Desperately, the thing clutched at its airholes, giving out some sort of horrible, ragged wheezing all the while. It staggered about drunkenly, as blood continued to drip from the large, gaping wound in its air sac. Flat, flapping sounds came out from its air sac as it struggled to breathe, yet was unable to fill its lungs. It tried to look to Shiva a few times, but mostly it just weakly continued to move…continued to try and live.

Slowly, Shiva began to come to. Her vision was a dim blur, but slowly it solidified into reality once again. Strength came back to her weak muscles, and slowly her intact limbs got pushed beneath her. Continuing to pant and breathe heavily, she forced her arms behind her and pushed against them. It took some effort, but eventually she gave a grunt and was able to get back onto her rear end. Once there, she twisted her body around and looked behind her.

At this point, Pandemona was falling onto one knee. He struggled to reach behind him for his own gashed air sac, and he was surrounded by the fluid leaking out from it. The horrible gagging noises continued to come forth from it. However…they were becoming even more strained. Weaker. The thing heaved and gurgled, and then fell onto all fours. Its sac, refusing to inflate, flapped behind it uselessly. It desperately struggled to breathe, but still to no avail. Shiva kept watching, and as she did…she realized it was dying. She had intended to take it out of the fight, but now it couldn't get any air into its lungs at all. It attempts to breathe only forced more fluid out of the wound, keeping it open and large.

Shiva stared at it as it continued to weaken. A part of her said to let it go. However…that was just a small part. Seeing the creature like this…it was a pathetic way to die for anyone or anything. She only had enough power to levitate herself to the next nearest esper at this point, but she found herself not using it. Her cold eyes continued to glare at the esper a bit longer, but then she closed them and gave a sigh. One hand raised and aimed at the wound on its air sac, and a moment later a shower of ice crystals, small this time, came out and poured over it. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was more than enough to cause the fluids around it to quickly solidify and coagulate, stopping the wound and forming a light seal.

Shiva let out a sigh as the last of her energy was spent, and her hand collapsed down next to her. As for Pandemona, he finally got in some ragged gasps. Airtight again, the air sac inflated just enough to get in some atmosphere. His breathing was wet and raspy, but he was breathing. Slowly he calmed down. His four limbs steadied themselves, and he became still. Once he did, however, his head turned toward Shiva. It was impossible to read any emotion on his face, but she could guess why he was staring at him.

Shiva glared coldly back. "Unlike you…I get no pleasure from seeing other espers, or other humans, die. You can't fight anymore. If you try, you'll rip that wound open again, and this time I won't seal it shut. Just get out of here."

Pandemona continued to stare at Shiva for quite some time after that. No doubt, she figured, he was trying to think of something smart to say or some threat. However, he was unable. He was barely able to make the shallow breaths he was producing as it was. Anything more would aggravate his injuries. For now, he would just be forced to swallow his pride. At last, he seemed to realize that as well. Still gasping, he turned his body away from Shiva. He stayed on all fours a second longer…but then lifted off from the ground. Not looking back toward her or anything else, the esper began to fly off. It wasn't terribly fast, but it was definitely a retreat. After a few moments more, it was vanishing into the dark and cloudy skies.

Shiva let out an exhale in response, and her own eyelids drooped. That was another one gone. Yet before she could think that things were finally looking up, a loud eruption went off from behind her. Moments later, a second one went as well. Weak as she was, and tired of more battle, she turned her head and looked to see what was causing the noise. It appeared to sound like one of those "gun" things the humans used…but it was far noisier than any one she had heard yet. At any rate, her ears soon led her to the source. It was down in the street nearby. By this point, Shiva was near the edge of the roof, and all it took was a look for her to see what was transpiring even from her seated position.

The ice esper knew that other espers usually used the term "blood running cold" to express a rush of fear, but she herself rarely could comprehend such a sensation. After all, for her, the more frigid the better she felt. So for her…a feeling of death more appropriately described the sensation sinking into her belly. Most of her view was obscured by the sight of great Alexander…fallen once again. Diablos was perched on him and cared nothing for his weak attempts to stand back up. Worst of all, right below him…Krystea Anne Valentine. The woman had somehow regained a rather large gun and had gotten Cerberus off of her…but that didn't matter now. The sounds she heard were the gunshots, and soon a third one exploded off in Diablos' direction. Yet Shiva could feel the power rippling off of him even now. It was weaker, but still so powerful that even Leviathan at full power wouldn't have been a match. He seemed to lose the ability to maintain his "bat shield", but fields of deadly energy still enveloped him. Each piece of metal Krystea fired at him literally rusted, deteriorated, and crumbled into dust before reaching him. Even now, his ego was so large that it allowed this to happen.

Shiva didn't know what to do. Her own power was gone. Diablos could literally siphon her dry with a gravity spell if she got anywhere near him. She quickly attempted to sense around her…and discovered that there were no other powers, either on their side or against it, capable of doing anything about…

_Wait…_

Something suddenly alerted Shiva's senses. Something was coming…something new. It wasn't like any esper signature she had ever seen before, and yet it was incredibly powerful. What more, the aura appeared to be good. Almost holy even…like Alexander. Was it as powerful as Diablos was now? Unfortunately, no. But then again…as Shiva detected it…it appeared to very slowly get stronger. She wasn't sure when it would peak or how fast it could increase, but it was closing the gap between Diablos and itself. Of course, she had a feeling that if it began to actually go into combat that whatever process was enabling it to recover would cease, as slow as it was happening. Yet she realized it was the best choice they had…

Whatever it was, she could detect it was going for the others. Three more weak powers…once she recognized as Ifrit, Carbuncle, and Leviathan.

_Good…then I can alert whatever it is through them…_ She thought as she began to focus.

* * *

"What are we looking for again?"

Carbuncle gave a sigh as, rather like a squirrel, he continued to scurry about the piles of debris with his nose first, pushing aside numerous scraps as he smelled for it. "The Magical Lamp… It's like a really small old single candle lantern like we used to use…and it should be easy since no one uses candles anymore!"

Ifrit gave out another grumble, one so loud that it made Rex stop his own searching, shrink back another ten feet from him, and continue from that new location. He soon shrank back even more as Ifrit casually picked up half of a car and tossed it behind him before bending down and continuing to dig through the refuse. Despite that, the human continued to search along with his two esper companions. It was hard work. There were a million bits of junk and debris scattered around the destroyed lot, and, unlike Carbuncle who used his ruby and unlike Ifrit who glowed a bit, Rex couldn't see that well in the dark. He tried to keep his eye out for objects that caught sparkles, and then look at those. However, all he found were bits of shiny piping or the like so far…

The human continued to look for about a minute more with the two espers when suddenly both he and the other two were interrupted. A loud impact was heard, something that could only be coming from Diablos and Alexander and their ongoing battle. However, this one was the loudest yet. All three paused and looked up, and they easily saw over the skyline as Alexander's body went sailing back from some sort of horrible impact that left bolts of black electricity snaking around him, sizzling all over. The impact kept carrying him, however, and soon he was thrown back off of his limbs and cast to the ground. As he fell over, he crushed two or three buildings beneath his massive bulk, and landed with such an impact that Rex yelped as he was shaken off of his feet and to the ground. Yet even after landing, he was still able to look up in wide-eyed awe as he saw a massive cloud of dust come forth from the site of the impact.

"Whoa…" Was all the young man could say as he blinked and stared at the sight, feeling the vibrations continue to ripple through the ground from the landing.

"Er…looks like big Alexander wasn't kidding…" Carbuncle threw in. "His power is diminishing to nothing. I think he may be down for the count…"

"Where's the Magical Lamp?"

Rex, Carbuncle, and Ifrit all snapped around behind themselves to the new voice that had sounded. It took only a moment for Rex to see the now-familiar face of Leviathan rise up from the rubble as he drew himself along on his massive coils. He looked rather fried and beaten up himself, but he seemed to have recovered from whatever had inflicted so much damage on him. At any rate, he seemed focused now, and his question had been direct and immediate. There was definite urgency in his tone.

Rex spoke up in reply a moment later. "We tried to use it against him. We appeared right in front of him and made him look into it…but it didn't work. He smacked it out of my hands and let it fall down here. We're trying to find it."

The sea serpent paused for a moment, but then quickly turned his head around to the rubble. He stared only a moment, before letting out an exhale, something of a mixture of a sigh as well as a relaxing breath. "Alright…" He responded. "One moment…"

Leviathan soon lowered his head and began to slither through the rubble. However, to Rex's surprise, rather than taking a straight path, he began to lengthen himself again. He did so rapidly too. Within just a few moments, he had already doubled his length. But rather than keep slithering out, he did a 180 degree turn and began to slide back along his same length, increasing it even more as he did. Once he got back to his tail end, he doubled back once more…and so on and so on…not only increasing his length, but increasing the amount of his surface and coils that were covering the ground. He continued to do so for quite some time, increasing his length so much that he could have coated a basketball court. Only then did he move as one unit. It was a bit strange to see, but the "zone" of Leviathan appeared to slowly drift over the entire surroundings, covering every nook and cranny and feeling with his coils rather than searching visually.

"Hey…"

Rex had his attention redirected again as Ifrit abruptly spoke up. Turning to the fiery beast, he saw him looking out and away from the city, back toward the ocean. Rex stared at him a moment, but then noticed that Carbuncle turned his attention that way as well. When that happened, Rex too looked out. Although the two espers were actually sensing something, it didn't take long for Rex to actually see it. Some sort of white blip, shimmering and radiant much as Alexander had been, was far on the horizon, streaming over the ocean. It was only a faint line for now and a dot against the water, but it was real and not some glow or illusion…

"Someone new is coming." Ifrit announced.

Rex turned away from the blip and toward the fire esper. "Someone?"

"Someone powerful…but luckily an aura that doesn't suck." Carbuncle explained. "Should be on our side, whoever it is. Weird, though…" The small esper's face twisted in confusion. "It's magical energy flowing through this one…but it's not an esper. It can't be. We've accounted for all the ones we brought back to life…"

"Damn…it _is_ strong…" Ifrit soon echoed. "Only ones better would be Alexander and Diablos…"

Rex heard all of this, and continued to note the blip on the horizon. It wasn't long, however, before he noticed something else about it. The tail of energy it was streaking behind it seemed to suddenly begin to shorten. But rather than fade out as well, the dot appeared to be growing larger. It only took a few moments for him to realize what was going on. Whatever it was out there…it had changed course. Now it was coming for them.

"Here!"

The two espers and Rex turned away from the light and back to Leviathan. A sound of sliding scales and whipping was coming out, and as they looked back they saw the huge bulk of Leviathan once again condensing into his normal length. Yet as it did, his head and neck raised from the ground enough to reach over to one area covered with scales, snap down, and then recoil once again. When his beak turned back to the others, the Magical Lamp was resting in his jaws, a bit dirty but none the worse for wear. He immediately set it down in front of him as the rest of his body quickly condensed.

Ifrit turned to Carbuncle a moment later. "Alright, shrimp. You know the drill. Get that thing over to him and make him look into it."

The pale green creature looked back at Ifrit, and a moment later swallowed a lump. "Yeah…about that…" He answered nervously, scratching his ear with one of his paws. "Only reason I was able to do it before is because I waited until Alexander stepped into the descent path of the airship when it landed earlier…in other words, somewhere we had been before."

"So?" The fire esper answered.

"So…now Diablos is way over there…" Carbuncle answered. "I mean…I could try doing a forced teleport…but with no runes…no focal points…nothing enhancing my magic… Plus…eh…he's probably expecting me to do something like that again…"

"Stop being such a coward!" Ifrit snorted in response. He turned to Leviathan next and angrily held out an open claw. "Give me the damn lamp." He made a thumb with his other claws and gestured behind him. "You can teleport me over there and cower behind me."

Leviathan, however, looked grimly back to them. "I'm afraid that wouldn't work even if Carbuncle could make it. Even now, he's still stronger than all of us put together. If we were at full power…trying to fight him intelligently…maybe we could wear him down enough to where he wouldn't be able to resist. But as it is, he can still break clear of it. He's above and beyond my expectations for when I first made the design. Nevertheless, we have to-"

Abruptly, the sea serpent cut off. His head turned slightly to the sky, above the others, and he became silent and still. Rex and the two espers stared back to him in puzzlement when this happened.

"Leviathan?" He called out.

"What's wrong now?" Ifrit asked.

However, before the water esper could respond, everyone had their attention directed away once again. This time, it was by a sudden sensation striking behind them…one of warm, white light. A glow soon came past all three and went on to illuminate Leviathan himself, and the way it pierced the darkness and gloom around them soon alerted them all to its presence. In response, the three turned back around and toward the ocean. Already, however, they knew what had come. Whatever that figure was from earlier, it had indeed been heading straight for them…and now it was here.

Rex himself turned over with some surprise, not sensing that there was no evil and maliciousness within the approaching form as Carbuncle and Ifrit had. When he did turn, he shrank back a bit in surprise due to how close the figure had come to them before it had touched down. It was only a scant ten feet away when it landed. It continued to emanate the glow, however, in particular from a large set of white wings coming from its back, rather like angel wings. The figure itself was female and clothed in a white slip dress and had some sort of radiant glowing runes coming off of her skin, as if they had become etched into them. Her hair fluttered long and free behind her, as if the essence of the life within her was somehow generating a wind to whip it up behind her. It looked like some sort of angel itself, although, on landing, she closed her eyes for a moment and held a hand to her head, as if she was dizzy.

Yet as she drew the hand away and straightened up once again, looking toward the group that had gathered with soft yet powerful green eyes, Rex took in her gentle, fair features…and realized, almost immediately, that he wasn't looking at an esper or a celestial being of any sort. To his surprise…he saw himself looking at someone familiar.

"…M…Mrs. Vice?"

The figure held a moment, but then appeared to turn a bit red, shrinking back slightly. The espers, on their parts, turned and looked to Rex for a moment, and then turned back to the angelic being. At last, the woman ran a hand nervously through her own fluttering hair.

"…I _really_ wanted to keep this a secret from people not in the family…"

"Mrs. Vice?" Carbuncle echoed. "As in…wife of Ragnar Vice? As in one of the last people with Cetra blood in them? As in Diablos' captive?"

"She ain't captive now." Ifrit retorted, glancing over the angelic figure. "And frankly I can't see how he managed to keep her prisoner… But I can see why he wanted that power you got… You ain't no missing member of the Three…but you pack some magical wallop." He snorted. "I have a hard time believing you got there without any magicite…"

"Forget that." Carbuncle answered. "She's here now and we could use some more muscle. Better yet…this means Diablos doesn't have all the Cetra besides Krystea now."

Aerith looked over the two figures on either side of Rex. Despite his own disbelief, she looked rather surprised to be staring at either of them. She even looked almost nervous. "You two must be Ifrit and Carbuncle…" She spoke aloud. "More espers…"

"…Damn."

The group, Aerith included, snapped out of their brief introductions, and immediately turned around back toward the sea serpent. He had snapped out of whatever he was in, but despite coming back to reality to see a new glowing figure joining them, he still seemed calm and temperate, as if he had been seeing this all happening up until this point. As he looked out again, however, his face turned grim.

"Shiva just contacted me. Alexander is beaten and Diablos has found Krystea."

Rex turned a shade white. Ifrit grit his teeth and growled. Carbuncle too looked a bit nervous. However, Aerith, behind them all, only paused momentarily. Then her face turned to resolution. She immediately turned away from the others and looked further toward where Alexander had collapsed. Although none of them, least of all Rex, knew it, she was already sensing Diablos not far ahead.

"…Then I'm going."

This, naturally, caused the others to turn back to her.

"Huh? Going?" Rex answered. "You just got here…"

"I'm going to stop Diablos myself." Aerith responded firmly. After that, she began to extend her arms to her sides, as if she was about to take off again.

"You don't have to now." Carbuncle threw out. "You're free. He can't get all Cetra anymore."

"He managed to capture me and my family once. I'm not going to let him do it again." Aerith flatly responded, not turning back. "Besides…I won't let him do to anyone else what he's been doing to the people of this world." Again, she made a move to take off.

"Wait."

The voice was calm and straightforward enough, not stern or demanding. And yet…it had such a quiet power about it that even Rex found himself freezing, although the comment was not directed to him. As for Aerith, she stopped and turned back around to the speaker: Leviathan. The sea serpent looked at her calmly but sternly.

"You cannot defeat him." He simply stated.

"I'm the only one left who can." Aerith stated. "No one else around here is strong enough."

"That includes you, Cetra." Leviathan calmly answered. "We don't have much time, so don't interrupt. I can see into your spirit and soul. You have a kind heart, a generous mind, a sacrificial will, and incredible power to go along with it. All of these are virtues…but not against Diablos. Especially not for you. At this point, the only way you could hope to defeat him would be by outthinking him. Powerful as you are, you have no experience with your magical abilities. Like most people who use these orbs called 'materia' in this world, you think too much in terms of raw power. You are different and have some strategy, but against Diablos, a fiend who has the intelligence of thousands upon thousands of calculating evil souls inside him, you lack the ingenuity or experience to outdo him. Furthermore, Diablos will not honor life or anything else in a fight. He'll use whatever means necessary to fill you with despair or negative emotions. Once you do, he'll feed off them and become even stronger while you weaken. No one short of Alexander would have been able to keep those feelings away from them while in battle. Even if you could outdo him in combat, you simply cannot win against something like him. You lack the power."

"But I can't wait." Aerith answered. "He'll just recover and become stronger…kill more people… And I can't leave my sister alone out there."

"I wasn't suggesting that you wait." Leviathan answered. "I was suggesting that you loosen your mental defenses a bit so that I can…'coach' you, so to speak. There are things you can do with your powers…magical spells and abilities…you've never even thought of. My guess is Diablos' ego, or at least anger, will keep him from responding with anything but his destructive abilities, and if so we can wear him down."

Aerith paused on hearing that. "…Wear him down for what?"

"Like you said, you need to get over there immediately." Leviathan answered. "But very quickly…let me explain the Magical Lamp…"

* * *

_To be continued..._

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now for the bad news. I have another project I'm working on that has a definite deadline of January 1st of the New Year, so I won't be able to work on the next chapter of "The Diablos Saga" for quite some time. To that end, I say to you all: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and remember the reason for the season.


	35. A Two Winged Angel

Despite the amount of vibrance and life she had shown a few moments earlier, such didn't seem to be the case now for Krystea. Instead, she hung by her suitcoat from one of the monstrous talons of Diablos. Her skin was as ashy and pale as that of her relatives had been now, and her arms and legs hung to the ground without moving. Her hair had splayed over her face, hiding her features. The monster himself cracked a grin at his prize that he had managed to obtain. Around his feet were crumpled remains of broken ammunition shells…all that the large gun had managed to do him. The gun Krystea herself had wielded moments ago was now broken into four pieces and crumpled up at his feet as well.

He turned his head slightly so that his demonic eyes could gaze at the nearby roof. Standing there aghast, unable to do anything except hold back and stare as she grasped her own wounds, was Shiva. The ice esper stared on at him with widened eyes as the demon continued to perch over the fallen, broken body of Alexander, hoisting his prize. The massive colossus of an esper attempted slight movements, but was unable to get up. Instead, when he shifted, Diablos merely lifted one leg and shoved it down, pounding against his head again. Small as it seemed compared to the giant, it was enough to force his head back to the ground again.

"Attack me now or sit there and die." Diablos finally told the ice woman. "Don't think I don't have more than enough power to kill the rest of you. And you've caused me so much trouble I'll never let you live after today. There's only one more thing I have to do before we begin."

With that in mind, Diablos turned his head away from the ice woman and toward his surroundings. They were lifeless and filled with rubble at this point. Distantly, the sounds of the struggle between the minotaur brothers and the Doomtrain raged, but they were too far away to interfere now. Yet the demon wasn't looking for them. Instead, he began to focus more closely on what was around him…started to extend his own senses and attempt to look for other potential intruders. In particular, his senses went out to find one tiny signature that had caused him enough trouble for one lifetime…

But he didn't get that far. Even as he searched for this one…a much larger, more powerful energy signature became evident that overshadowed all others. What more, it was nearly upon-

"Let her go."

-him.

Diablos' thin eyes flicked in front of him, his internal senses finding the source of the power just as his ears detected her position. It took only a moment for him to focus on the object. It was rather hard to miss. She was radiating quite an amount of light from those wings of hers…turning her into some blasted beacon in the midst of all of Diablos' darkness. He would be lying if he said he didn't find it unpleasant to look at…but that's all it was: unpleasant. Not painful. To him, he wasn't that surprised at who he saw there. Oh, he was surprised to find another energy signature that large...and further surprised to see someone he thought he had safely tucked away at this point...but the mutual occurance of the two somewhat softened the blow. After all, he knew there was only one other force who could possibly raise enough power to threaten him now…and he was most satisfied to realize that the power was beneath his own and far beneath its maximum. Apparently, she was still rather "rusty". He didn't know how she had managed to escape, but it would be no problem.

There, hovering on her own power, surrounded by white light, looking much healthier and stronger than she had when he last left her, was the source of all of this power to begin with…Aerith of the Cetra. In full Sorceress regalia too, no less. Her hands were in fists and she stared back at him firmly, trying to accent her seriousness with her last order to him.

Diablos spread his smile to the other side of his face as he stared at her. His eyes focused on this latest opponent, but his senses continued to spread out as he did so. In short order, it seemed as if the crowds for either side began to gather in. He could detect the surviving, gathered espers beginning to accumulate to his right…easily finding the energies of things like Leviathan poking out from among them. On his other side, however, he began to detect some of his own. The floating platform and the mages he had made for it began to stabilize and start to hover back toward his location. However, his mental message to them told them to halt. He left them there for now, for any other observing humans or observers to gape at seeing the floating throne. He himself didn't turn to it. His attention remained on the woman in front of him.

"You should have just rested in death's embrace forever." He flatly told Aerith at long last, still holding onto Krystea. "Then you would have just gone to sleep and not known what came after. Now you know that all that awaits you after I've defeated you is another ritual mummification followed by an eternal sleep in a stone box."

"Let her go!" Aerith shot back.

The teeth flashed. "Of course."

With that, Diablos shifted his talons slightly upward, allowing Krystea's weight to bear down against the sharp edge of his talons. As a result, the suit fabric quickly ripped, and in moments she shredded through the coat and collapsed down to the ground. Her body struck Alexander a moment later and lifelessly toppled off into a pile. He felt like smiling more as he saw Aerith's eyes turn to it, and saw her tense up again as she watched her clone potentially be in pain. Because of this, she wasn't paying much attention at all when Diablos took the same arm, aimed it slightly out to one side, and fired off a blast of dark energy.

The sound of the eruption of power alerted her, however, and she snapped back up in surprise. But by the time she did so, all she saw was a beam of energy streaking out into the distance. This attack had been fired at supersonic speed. Within moments, it had painted against the landscape, shot above the ruined streets and rubble of all that had happened, and straight for its unsuspecting target. Diablos merely kept grinning at her as he waited for it to hit its result. An instant later, and he heard the cries of the watching espers yell out…before he heard one sharp yelp that was cut abruptly short, as if the air was sucked out of the victim's lungs. More gasps soon followed, and Diablos heard many on the horizon beginning to scramble in fear. But he himself merely grinned as he sensed one of the smallest energy signatures shrink into practically nothing.

Aerith herself snapped her head to the side in response to the noise. However, she turned it back an instant later, as she watched Diablos calmly cross his arms in front of him. The clamor continued to go on the horizon, but Diablos didn't look to it.

If he did, he would have possibly watched as the espers Ifrit and Leviathan went with some small human over to the smoldering, fried, utterly powerless twisted heap that was Carbuncle, now lying on the ground with his face frozen in agony as dark tendrils of power fizzled and snapped around him. His tiny paws were extended and trembling with the energy coursing through his tiny green body, and his flesh and fur had gone cold and still.

"What a pity…" Diablos sneered. "Now you can't have him bring that Magical Lamp in front of my face again." His voice twisted into mock concern. "Dear me…did I ruin your entire plan? Wear me down as much as you could and then try and imprison me again?"

Aerith continued to stare back silently, her face stunned and her lip quivering a bit. But then, she swallowed and forced her mouth to shut again.

The dark being laughed in her face. "You thought I'd be so stupid… Why don't you just give up now and accept your fate as my host? I can't kill your little brats, but rest assured…if you annoy me too much I'll make them regret it. Technically I only need their torsos. Or I can make your little friends suffer. You may feel powerful now, but your magical ability is far inferior to mine. You have no chance of victory, especially now."

Aerith quivered a bit longer, clearly nervous. This would only make this more easy. Diablos could prey on these negative feelings so well. Even now, the woman was giving him fodder by showing so much hesitation. It gave all sorts of playgrounds to his own dark abilities to erode the will and poison the soul. However, even as he thought he might actually make her surrender…the woman's face went rigid. She closed her eyes momentarily, and when she opened them again she was far more calm and resolute. She glared back at Diablos with the strongest look that her own mortal body could use to counter him, and then tightened her jaw. Her arms spread out in front of her and her fingers began to twist in ways to suggest preparing to use magic.

The smile faded slightly.

"So you choose pain instead?" Diablos growled. "Stupid Cetra… Sorceress or not, I know I'm better than you in every way. I'll find a way to make you regret it terribly. But for now…I'll settle with merely torturing your body until you scream for mercy. Maybe I'll turn you into some foul abomination and let you writhe around as that for a few days before I seal you up."

Diablos cracked his neck and kicked off of Alexander just as the holy esper began to shift again underneath him. He raised himself into the air a good distance…about forty feet or so…before coming to a halt. Once there, he grinned again at Aerith.

"Alright…still don't believe how easy this will be? Take your best shot. This first one is on me."

Beneath him, Diablos heard shifting of metal as Alexander began to grind his own body against the ground, pushing back and away from beneath the demon to get clear. The monster wanted to chuckle at him. So much for their savior. At any rate, he decided to go along with it. He pushed himself in the air a bit closer, making sure to get clear from not only Alexander but the final Cetra that he needed. After all…he didn't want _her_ dying. He thought of bringing in his minions to carry her safely away…but then he decided against it. These people were too much of bleeding hearts to beat him by killing her. Instead, he merely stood there and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. Immediately, the woman began to chant a spell in her arcane language. Diablos' teeth flashed again. He didn't bother chanting…but he summoned another spell at the exact same time. In moments, his was done. Now all he had to do was wait. He said he'd give her the first shot. He didn't say it wouldn't be just as painful to her as it would have been to him. He confidently waited for the result to occur…for a white sphere of energy to erupt from the woman, massive and powerful, the strongest attack she would muster all day…then see it calmly bounce off of him and hit her just as powerfully…

As a result…his face showed the slightest bit of surprise on it when, instead, a spike of earth suddenly erupted from out of the ground, shot straight into the heavens all forty feet, and then smashed him under the jaw with incredible force.

Diablos' neck snapped back and his head rotated to the sky. Pain rocked through his skull. He wanted to say he could have shrugged it off…but he was caught completely off guard and it actually hurt a bit…in fact, more than he thought it would have. His arms loosened and uncrossed as his body shot upward an additional foot from the impact. Yet immediately, the demon began to think. Apparently, the Cetra was more clever than he thought. He had thought she would have attacked him with a Holy spell, trying to exploit his weakness. To that end, he had generated a reflect spell around himself, and waited for her to fry herself with her own magic. Instead, she had shifted to a magic based around physical objects, such as a variation of an earth spell, which negated reflect magics. She had suspected he would try that.

_Clever, girl. I must reward such cleverness…_

Immediately, Diablos snapped his head back down. As he did, he raised both arms in front of him, slammed his wrists together, and fired off an orb of black energy right where the woman had been. Unfortunately, he soon saw his orb do just that…sail past where she had been…not where she was now. His orb passed through nothing before striking the ground and igniting in a blast of dark power. The Cetra was gone…having used his moment of looking away to run for cover.

Diablos sneered. A simple parlor trick. Immediately, he stretched out his own senses again and began to search for her. Her signature was far too large to hide. Within moments, he began to pick up on her energy waves. However…he also noticed something else. Apparently, some other energy wave was closer…and coming toward him. Not only that, but he began to hear a sort of roaring sound on the wind…quickly getting closer…growing more ear-piercing and loud…

Abruptly, the demon sprawled his arms and wings out as he spilled forward a bit…the result of a large, powerful, energy charged object suddenly smashing him in the back. His body turned into a dark blot for a moment as an eruption of fire and energy went out from behind him, making him a shadow as a result. He spilled forward for a few feet before he gave a mild grunt and steadied himself. However, even so, he felt more pain flow through his back.

_A Comet spell… The little Cetra is following up with more magic that negates reflect…but she got that spell off so quickly…_

At any rate, Diablos quickly snapped his body back up, cracked his back, and then quickly unfurled his wings and went into motion. He spun his body around and looked to the heavens for a moment. He could still see a mild energy trail where the comet had come down from the heavens and struck him a moment earlier. However, seconds later, and he began to see his dark clouds far overhead part again. As they did, he saw another sizzling orb inside them pierce the gloom and shoot straight down for him. This time, he grinned again, and then simply shot to one side, allowing the sizzling missile to tear past where he had been and strike the ground beneath him again, resulting in another huge, fiery explosion, but one that Diablos was well clear of.

Keeping that in mind, Diablos began to look around again, stretching out his senses once more. Soon, he began to find the large energy signature again, and this time managed to realize it was darting around beneath him. As he did, another comet sailed down, but he laughed a bit as he easily dodged it without trouble. Soon he began to zero in on the form. As he did, his eyes finally picked up on it. His target was no longer in the air along the same level as him, but instead was now beneath him in the ruins and buildings that were still around. Darting through the wreckage of one alley and moving into a building, he caught a flash of white light. A moment later, he caught another flash from a second story window…seemingly impossible for someone to move that quickly.

_So that's your little game…_ Diablos thought. _Using an advanced haste spell to throw these high level spells at me again and again while you scurry about like a rat? Well…let's see how well you do without cover…_

With that, the demon aimed his arms down again, this time at his surroundings, and discharged another, larger blast of dark energy. The dark orb sailed to the first floor of a neighboring building and proceeded to erupt violently. It possessed so much force that it didn't merely erode away at the foundation to cause a building collapse, but rather possessed enough power to actually blow the upper levels of the structure off to the side, causing the whole thing to slump over like an uneven stack before collapsing down on top of itself in a massive heap. A huge cloud of smoke and debris rose from it as a thunderous roar of the huge structure being thrown aside went out. However, Diablos didn't stop there. He soon began to cast more chaos about him as he turned to the next building and blasted away at this one as well. After that, he actually stretched out his senses a bit…looked to see where the woman was headed.

Sure enough, he soon spotted a flash of her white once again. It stuck out rather well, after all. It was going through a building just to his right. With that in mind, he snapped to the building and quickly discharged another blast of energy, annihilating that building. Like a bird flushed from its covey, he saw the white object streak out at impossible speeds and shoot out from behind this rapidly creating ruin and toward the next nearest building. Letting out a laugh, he pointed a single talon at the figure as it shot by in the brief space and shot out a deadly bolt of draining black energy, intending to snare her and end the little "squabble"…

Instead, his face turned to puzzlement a moment later as his beam of energy struck the fleeing object…and vanished into a puff of radiant smoke.

_What the…_

Diablos' train of thought was cut off a moment later as not one but several large flaming rocks shot out from the sky and pounded against his back one after another. This time, he couldn't hide his pain. He arched back and hissed in anger as the eruptions tore into him, forcing him down about ten feet this time. They would have forced him down even more…but this time, he didn't feel like taking it. The pain was more than severely irritating this time…it wasn't something he wanted to endure. Giving the barest hint of a growl, he fed more power into himself, and ripped his body out of the chain of meteorites pelting him from the advanced comet spell. He quickly swept around and shot back into the sky, spreading his black wings around him as he did so in a flourish, and then came to a halt at about fifty feet above the ground. He turned and glared for a moment at the rest of the attack as it rushed by, hitting nothing.

_A multiple image spell… I didn't even think humans had relearned that one…_

Much as he hated to show it, his smile vanished into a stern frown momentarily.

However, that lasted only a second, before he saw the white signature again. His head immediately shot upward and looked out, and in moments he spotted her. From the opposite side of the street as the image he had destroyed was the genuine article…a white figure looking from a rooftop with her hands focused in front of her, no doubt required to stop for a spell of that magnitude. Well, she had no doubt thought that he would be trapped in that blast of magical power longer… Grinning again, and happy to disappoint her, he pointed one of his palms at her instead. He paused momentarily here, producing a black, sizzling orb of dark energy, but not firing it right away. He took a moment to put more power into it, making it larger and more deadly. That last attack had annoyed him too much. He wanted to deal a debilitating blow…

Moments later, the orb erupted from his palm and sailed straight for the woman. Despite the time it had taken to make it larger, it shot down as quick as any other attack had done. The Cetra looked up, but it was too late for her to stop it. And there was no image this time. This time it would hit her…

The deadly orb shot forward a bit farther until it came to the point of impact. And the moment it did…a shining, multicolored sphere ignited around the woman. The dark orb was absorbed into it immediately. Nevertheless, the attack had so much power that the woman beneath strained a bit, showing off some pain and agony from the exchange, before managing to relax as the full attack went into the multicolored sphere. After that, the shell of energy around her sizzled and hesitated a moment, burning and sweeping around her. Diablos himself lowered his hand in puzzlement for a moment at this, but then his memory clicked.

When it did, he let out an audible laugh.

_Reflect spell, eh? And my own can't counter a reflected technique. Pity you don't seem to realize I'll just be filling myself with my own element by blasting my own body with one of my spells. Thanks for the help, Cetra…_

With that, Diablos continued to laugh as he closed his eyes and stretched out his limbs in all directions, making himself a wide target and awaiting the energy to come back to him to feed him. His hands and feet opened in an accepting gesture, and he simply hovered there and waited for it. Sure enough, the translucent sphere around Aerith soon condensed once again, and a moment later a black energy orb began to form from the stored power. Moments later, and the reflect spell was gone, fully having fed the black energy orb again. After that, it shot back out, straight for Diablos. The demon didn't even watch. He merely held himself open and waited for the power.

Hence, he received a shock a moment later when another column of earth shot out and smashed into his entire body this time, knocking him higher toward the heavens.

The outstretched body of Diablos began to flail around wildly as the solid blow from another variant quake spell shot him into the sky. He was caught completely off guard by it…and as pain rattled his form and sent him flying toward his own blackness…he realized that was the intention. The woman had counted on him dropping his guard entirely when one of his own spells was reflected back to him. As a result, he hadn't been watching when she hit him with yet another unblockable attack. Not only that, but the blow had hit him so hard and fast that as he toppled over himself while shooting into the sky…he just managed to catch in his spinning vision as his own attack sailed by him harmlessly and impacted in a nearby building. His chance at reclaiming energy was gone.

Gritting his teeth, Diablos quickly stretched out his wings and focused his power again. It took a few moments, and he was well above the skyline when he managed to do so…but he spread his body out and came to a halt, hovering in the sky. He let out another low growl at how he was caught off guard again, and quickly started to stretch out his senses once more…

He had barely started when he heard a chain of arcane words spill out rather stiffly, as if forced and spoken with great difficulty.

They were coming right behind him.

The demon immediately whirled around to look…and for a brief moment saw her. Glowing with those radiant wings of hers, she was poised directly behind him with her palm in his face. It was only a foot away. From that distance, her flesh was paling and her fingers were curling in on her palm. Her light was dimming from his own deadly power subjecting her to fatal energy. Her pallor sunk and she nearly froze when his own face met hers, immobilizing her. But before she totally locked up…the woman spoke one final word and finished her spell. While he was still surprised at seeing her, a black attack of her own shot forward and smashed him in the face. Thick black smoke seeped from her own hand and struck his eyes, seeming to immediately be drawn to them and suck inside his eyelids.

She had done far more than catch him totally off guard once again after dazzling him, leaving him with no defenses thrown up to guard against attack spells. She had gone up so close to him that her casting hand had passed through his own reflect barrier, which had no power against physical objects. Despite how much it had to have drained and hurt her, she had dipped in to give one spell off to him without any protection on his part…

A blinding spell.

As the mist clung to his eyeballs, Diablos' red vision dimmed and turned into blackness. His horrible slit pupils vanished into dark nothingness, and the glowing woman in front of him vanished completely into a black oblivion. He tensed up, but it was too late. His sight was robbed from him.

Diablos' temper flared. His control and confidence broke momentarily, and pure anger just came out instead. He opened his mouth, casting about foul-smelling drool in the process, and bellowed in anger. Growling, he swung out with his tail and swept it in front of him, trying to smash away at the woman before him. He did so rather quickly following the attack…and so, although he didn't manage to rip the woman's head off…he still felt his scaly, hard appendage of a tail lash out and catch soft flesh. It was a glancing blow, one that was made as she was trying to escape him, no doubt…but it worked. He heard her cry out…the most satisfying sound he had heard yet…and smelled blood be drawn as the force of his whip-like tail struck her out of the sky like a bird on the wing, sending her back groundward.

Realizing he had finally hit her, Diablos quickly eschewed his vision and sensed as hard as he could. It took only moments for his hearing to pick up on a flailing, descending body going toward the ground. The energy signature soon followed. Still gritting his teeth, he peeled his arms down and aimed his palms in the best possible location. Not caring if she would reflect this or not, orbs of deadly energy began to rip out of his limbs, much in the same "machine gun" fashion that he had used against Alexander. A cloud of dark orbs began to pepper the area where he sensed her coming from, each orb causing another powerful small explosion whenever it struck something. He didn't care initially if his shots hit or not. He only fired the shots off in a cloud, determined that multiple would hit her and make her feel pain for what she did. As a result, his hearing soon cut off again as a stream of explosions erupted beneath him, flattening more of the street, blasting more roadways and foundations into rubble, and sending a cloud of dust and chaos in an upwelling back toward him.

Soon, Diablos lost sight of her energy signature, only sensing his own energy pouring out in overt forms. But he kept blasting regardless. He didn't sense her flee, and so he continued to pour out more of his power to try and blast her. He was sure she couldn't recover so easily from his attacks. However, he only blew away the pavement for a bit longer. After that, he abruptly cut off his energy flow and brought his fists back to his sides. He waited for the last few energy blasts to die out. As he did, he seethed a bit before calming down. This Cetra was getting very irritating…and it was making him lose his cool…

The monster scanned out again, not using his eyes. He couldn't afford to. No doubt…she was trying to bait him into dropping his shield. Then she could blast him with holy energy. In order to heal from the darkness spell, he would have to remove his barrier and heal himself. Doing so would leave him open, and he wouldn't be that dumb. This woman wasn't going to trick him so easily… Instead, he kept stretching out his senses, looking for her signature…waiting for her to do something again. He kept part of his mind searching for comet spells, but he knew he was too high here for any more earth attacks…

_…There._

Abruptly, Diablos slapped his palms together and aimed to the side. His senses had picked up on a large amount of energy sailing upward at an angle. Instantly, he summoned an even larger orb of energy than any he had used yet and fired it off at the beacon. His aim was true this time, and there was too much energy for it to simply be an illusion image. In moments, his ball sailed across the sky and impacted the flying one. It instantly erupted into a massive explosion, far larger than any one since they had started. It had so much force that it actually hurt Diablos' own ears a bit and blew against him from the force of the eruption. He could sense his minions shielding themselves while the weaklings below dove for cover…

There was so much cast off energy that it took a moment for it to fade before Diablos could sense anything else. He heard burning and sizzling as his own energy pathway faded, but gradually it was carried off by the wind. It was growing a bit more rough now. Diablos was having a hard time maintaining his darkness at this point, much as his power had been spent. The breezes of the ocean and the dawn were attempting to break his gloom. Nevertheless, he held, and sensed out again. As the energy levels faded…he didn't pick up on anything… No residue was left behind. No powerful forces were still there or sailing downward. But that didn't make any sense to him. Strong as that attack had been…he still should have sensed the Cetra's life force. After all, he purposely made it weak enough to where it wouldn't kill her. He needed her alive…

Then, he sensed it again. From behind him, another wave of energy suddenly shot up into the heavens. He wasted no time, determined not to be caught off guard again. Instantly, he spun around and fired off another massive blast. Much as before, it sailed across the sky and impacted with another massive explosion. Once again, Diablos was battered back as the dark energy rippled away from the point of ignition. He waited for a few moments for it to fade back…and once again sensed nothing.

It happened again a moment later. Another blip of energy suddenly rocketed into the sky. Yet it wasn't alone this time. Just as Diablos began to turn toward it…another identical blip came up simultaneously from a different angle. Hissing, his anger breaking out again, Diablos aimed his palms at either source and fired off with more energy balls. Two more explosions, even larger than before, ripped out soon afterward, and he had to steady himself to keep from being buffeted by the wind. Yet even as these ones continued to rage and burn around him…he detected three more energy beams shooting up into the sky. Giving a hiss, Diablos quickly sent out even more large balls of energy to blow these out of the sky as well. But only more greeted him…and he understood…

_Damn bitch…_ He hissed, losing more composure regarding this annoying Cetra. _Making me fire at ghosts…sending up packets of magical power while I'm trying to sense just my immediate area to make sure you don't sneak up behind me…so that I waste it on nothing… I'm sick of your games, woman!_

Four more beams came out, but this time Diablos ignored them. He tired of this. Instead, he aimed his head straight down at the ground and focused his hands together once more. An orb soon began to form in them…but this time it was different. It became thick and opaque, beginning to take on some sort of inky plasma nature to it. It seemed almost like a piece of darkness manifest into something solid. Diablos grit his teeth and continued to pour his power into it, making it stronger and larger as he did so. It continued to grow bigger and retained its bleak quality as it grew as large as Diablos…and then grew larger yet… It sizzled with violet beams of energy, and waves of foul, draining power began to encircle it. Yet still he put more power and strength into it.

This was his ultimate attack…and he made sure it would hit the woman. Once it did, it would drain her of all of her power and end this chain of humiliations and irritations. He was making it large enough to ensure it would drain the entire surrounding area, stopping just short of the observers that surrounded them. Ideally, he hoped he would get Alexander and Shiva with this…but it seemed they had been clearing out during the chaos. He couldn't sense Shiva at all anymore, and even that large monolith must have managed to drag himself away. That…or his energy was so low that he couldn't sense him. But it mattered nothing to him. He'd gladly kill him in the process of this attack if he had to.

The sizzling, massive orb was ready…like a great focused sphere of dark matter. It was so large that he was struggling to hold onto it, his fingers trembling and quivering as he braced himself. But it was ready. Hissing again, his teeth grit as he flexed his power one more time. Then, he gave out a loud roar…and fired off. With some effort, the huge orb of inky darkness shifted, but then began to shoot down for the ground below. It actually stretched out a bit as it did, casting about ripples of violet energy about it, but then shot straight for bottom of the battlefield.

Diablos could only watch with his senses…and so he slumped over a bit in midair, heaving from the power he had put into that attack, and sensed as it went down. Rather than detecting energy, he detected rather an absence of it. The orb created a great icy void of nothingness within reality. As it descended, it lapped up at all energy waves around it, arresting air movement, turning moisture stagnant, and siphoning the life out of any organism that dared come in its way. He continued to sense and wait as it fell down…

One of the four energy beams from the ground was shot right into his descending orb…and it immediately went dead. As for the others, he ignored them. He wasn't going to fall for this again. He let them rise up to the heavens and focused only on the closing orb. It went closer and closer to the ground as the other energy blips shot up. He waited patiently for the moment of impact…and at last, it came. The orb of shadow and death finally hit the ground. In response…a massive "blort" sound went out…not like an explosion at all but rather like reality was imploding…and he watched as his waves of darkness and life draining spread out over the city blocks like a deluge of death from the heavens…spreading the life sucking energies everywhere around him…waiting and watching to see if the source of the true power would be swallowed up by it…

As he watched and waited, not expecting much of a scream or a yell, for he knew she would be cut off as the air was sucked from her lungs the moment it touched her, he continued to sense the energy blips around him. Only very slowly did they fade…and then only one at a time. One went out…then another… He hissed to himself as they went. The energy annoyed him…distracted his senses. In fact, it almost seemed to be like a thorn in his side as he stared at the inky blackness…almost piercing away at him…especially that last one. Its energy seemed to make him dizzy…and it seemed to be so potent and focused, like something stabbing into his dark brain even while blind…like…like…

_…A holy spell?_

Diablos suddenly went rigid. He ceased his panting and his body stiffened. Then…he realized it. His redirection of senses…his anger that led him to summoning that massive attack…his hate focusing only on it and the result…his exhaustion as a result of all of this…all of it led to one thing…lowering his guard yet again. He had been drained from summoning all that power as well as angry…and because of this hadn't been paying attention. He didn't see one of those blips of energy become stronger and stronger… He didn't notice that it didn't fade, but instead swept around him and took a higher position behind him… He didn't sense its true nature…so loathsome to him and painful to even detect…

Worst of all, he didn't notice that he had put so much power into this that he lowered his reflect spell.

The monster only managed to turn halfway before she hit him, disguised until now as an innocent regular magical attack, and the whole time summoning as much holy power as she could to smite him at this unguarded moment.

It couldn't possibly be as strong as Alexander's worst…and yet the Sorceress held so much power of her own even in this weakened state, and he had freshly drained off his readily available energy…that he was again caught off guard and without protection. The blast struck him…and ravaged him. No bats…no magical fortification…just his scales and holy energy waves blasting him. He could feel his own dark, deadly energy sapped as the light burst against his body, peeling his scales and roasting his own foul flesh in white, radiant mists. He screamed in anger, and felt the radiant power burn his lungs as he drew in breath. He was still blind, yet white light pierced his dark world and tortured his brain. His body went limp again, and he felt himself forced downward back out of the sky and straight for the ground into his own black miasma that he had spread across it. The Sorceress continued to blast him even then, summoning more power and increasing the power of her holy spell further above. She was making sure he _felt_ this. She was making sure it took a piece of him with it. And so, he continued to rage and roar against it as the holy spell grew stronger and stronger yet, forcing him down even faster and hitting him with even more powerful waves.

Finally, Diablos struck the ground. It was a hard, rough impact…solid and bone-jarring. Immediately, his body was pressed against the debris and chaos he had caused and blasted with even more holy power. He couldn't drain the miasma from the type of attack he had launched just now, and so he felt no relief there. It should have still drained the Sorceress' attack, however. And yet…as he was pressed harder and harder into the ground…driven into the sharp debris…and blasted with even more holy energy…it became clear that the woman was screaming herself over all this, pushing her own body to the limit to pump in enough power into her attack to not only overcome the effects of Diablos' fading miasma…but to hurt him even more than he had been initially. The waves of holy light continued to blast away at him, ravaging him more and more…

Inevitably, however, they began to die down. Diablos couldn't see her, but Aerith had hit him with everything she had in that one attack. And her own power was still too weak to finish him or even cripple him. At first, she only held steady, blasting him with holy light at a sustained power as long as she could…

Unfortunately, that was enough for him. Snarling and hissing from the pit he had been blasted into, the monster abruptly crossed his arms in front of him and balled his hands into fists, blocking away the power that was blasting him. Much of half of his torso and one arm was blasted raw and bleeding freely at this point, and the energy continued to burn away at his scales once defending himself. However…he stopped writhing then. His legs slammed down and his feet pushed into the pavement around him. After that, he held steady and focused for a moment…just long enough to put energy into his eyes to clear them. Slowly, white dazzling light entered his vision, throwing his brain into more mind-numbing agony. And yet through it all…the eyes of the demon turned fiery red…glowing like hellish flames from within the light as his anger fully broke.

Roaring in such a horrible voice that it cut off the sound of the energy waves hitting him, almost seeming to blow back the holy energy blasting him, the demon threw both of his arms forward as he uncrossed them and fired out a massive black thunderbolt of energy. It shot into the heavens, snaking a dozen sizzling, deadly tendrils through the air as it tore upward, back toward the source of what was hitting him. This time, despite the agony, he forced himself to look through the darkness and toward the target. He curled his talons as the black energy crackled from his fingertips, intent on having it hit the target.

Finally, it did. The black tendrils shot a bit further…and then impacted the Sorceress. At last, she screamed in true agony as the dark energy pierced her. The holy spell was cut off as she went rigid. Beams of darkness surrounded her, penetrated her, and began to circulate throughout her body. Her head snapped back as the bolts lashed out through her flesh. His eyes glared at her as he watched her writhe, and proceeded to pour more energy into his tendrils and fry her further. He leaned up out of the hole and rose to his feet, spreading his black wings behind him, and kept shooting. His anger was peaked. He didn't care anymore. He wanted her to be fried…to turn into a pale, burnt, withered corpse of a woman… He didn't even feel any malicious glee anymore. He just wanted to see her in pain…desperately…for all she had done to humiliate him…

For a bit longer, her screams increased…and he continued to siphon away at her power and life force with his own deadly ability.

Then…suddenly…she disappeared.

Diablos continued to shoot out his deadly energy for a few moments, blasting nothing except the heavens. Then, however, he realized she had gone. His eyes widened in surprise, and immediately he cut off the blaze. From within the crater made from holy power, he glared out, his nostrils blaring angrily, his teeth clenched into a tight grimace, and looked up to see where she was. Now that his eyes were open again, he scanned as best as he could around him…before he heard it.

Right in front of him…he heard desperate panting.

The demon looked down in front of him…and saw her standing not ten feet in front of him in the crater as well. Her body was sizzling. The light her wings had given out had faded. Her strength, between her own attack and the one he had made, was nearly gone. She hunched over as parts of her white dress smoldered and feathers fell off of her wings and vanished. The runes in her face were fading, and she looked extremely tired and drained. However…she was right there. She was in front of him.

And she was aiming her palm at him again.

Then Diablos realized it.

By letting her move around this entire landscape, she had been creating memory signatures to enable her to warp anywhere on the ground. Somehow, in the midst of the pain he gave her, she managed to just barely tumble out a warp spell. She was trying to summon another one right now, but this time the strain was too great and her reserves were too taxed. She couldn't get it off.

Quickly, the demon tried to seize the chance. He aimed his talons up at her and ignited the black bolts of power once again. They snaked across the small divide between the two in a heartbeat and lit into the woman. The force of the beams ripped her right off of her feet, carried her back, and smashed her into the side of the crater. Her body slumped around the bolts as she cried out in pain again.

And yet…she still squeezed off one more spell.

It wasn't another Holy. Instead, it was something that could be pinpointed and focused far more intensely…a Flare spell. What more, despite how much she had been fried and how weak she was, she had managed to take very careful aim with it…right for his already-wounded arm. In particular, she targeted a large gash in it from where most of the holy energy had struck. And now, as he watched, a ray of intense burning light, shooting a dozen flaming orbs alongside it, shot straight into that wound. Despite blasting the Cetra, he could do nothing but helplessly stare as the energy streamed in bit after bit into the arm wound…watched as each orb added to the glow within his arm…and then ignite.

A pain like a flame from the sun itself went off inside Diablos' arm, and immediately he could smell his own sinews and tendons roast even as he felt them blown out. An eternal eruption from within his scales and muscles went off, and he could see part of his own arm erupt as a huge fireball exploded from within it. His arm was flung wildly aside, breaking off his black energy tendrils. He felt one of the bones in it break…but he also felt horrible, agonizing, mind-numbing pain. Burned flesh erupted from the wound and blood began to pour out and roast.

Diablos staggered back and seized his own arm in fury with his good limb. He felt his own thick, reddish-black blood pour from the opening, and it drove him mad. He screamed a horrible, heaven-rendering note…but it wouldn't change how much he had been hurt. For a moment, he continued to rage and foam in pain…

But then, roaring like a beast from Hell, teeth gnashing, blood and offal flung everywhere from his now-useless appendage, the beast turned back and opened his foul mouth right where Aerith was and erupted a stream of basketball-sized dark spheres. Within moments, a tower of flame and blackness higher than any of the buildings in the city was erupting from the ground, sending huge clouds of smoke and debris into the sky. Half of the street and its sewers was immediately annihilated.

And for all this…Diablos hit no one.

The Sorceress had already teleported and hid again.

The last bit of focus and control cracked. Filled with nothing more than his true essence…pure, unadulterated hate and rage…Diablos shot back into the sky, still radiating his own black power. He was at a hundred feet above the ground within only a few moments. Once there, he immediately stopped, flung his wings out, aimed his good hand below him…and unloaded.

Dozens…hundreds…of orbs of black energy rained across the entire landscape for a moment before an area of at least eight blocks was turned into black fire. Eruptions rained out throughout the entire city, shaking the ground and sending a violent tremor throughout the entire countryside. The cliffs nearby fractured and began to break into rockslides. Huge fissures were blasted into the roads of several tiers of Junon. Flames, debris, and explosions burst up with such colossal force that everyone was forced to a halt. Ironically, it was those flying creatures, the last of Diablos' true army, who got the worst. The force of the eruptions sent them flying violently to the ground, crashing into buildings or cliffs and often getting serious or fatal fractures. Others, too scared even to obey, turned and fled. Yet he didn't care. He literally turned the roads over, upheaved basements, and continued to wage total annihilation around him, wanting everything destroyed and dead. He didn't even care that he might kill his intended target anymore. He wanted her dead. He wanted her to suffer. He wanted this fight to be over with her in a bleeding pile of broken bones and flesh in front of him.

The monster howled in horrible rage, worse than even the most fearsome dragons had ever done, and continued to rip apart the city. He blasted everywhere. His only rule was anything around him that he could still see standing. His throne and minions backed off as much as they could before rising higher into the sky, trying to evade the destruction. The espers fled and covered themselves. Still he screamed in hate. Babble came out of his mouth about how much he hated the Sorceress. It was in dark, foreign, unspeakable languages and mostly just in a string of enraged syllables. He yelled. He spat. And through it all, he pumped more of his dark energy out, obliterating everything around him…wanting her dead…dead…DEAD.

At last, the monster hesitated a moment. Its arm was growing tired and it panted, and so it slumped in midair and heaved for a moment. Thick, oily sweat began to leak out from its brow. It painted its entire body, running into its wounds and sores and making it more enraged and agonized. One arm still hung limp and useless at his side. However, once it had enough breath, it screamed out another inhuman noise, raised its arm to the air, and filled the already smoke-choked sky with more dark fire and explosions. Everywhere that had begun to die out it lit up again. It pumped out as much energy as it could, ripping a few streets into bits all over again. What debris was left of its destroyed areas began to get turned into smaller and smaller pieces of rubble. A moment longer, however, and it was forced to cut off yet again. Once more, the creature panted and wheezed, and more sweat began to streak over it. It slumped in midair again. Its wings continued to flap, but it did so much more gently.

The monster continued to pant for a bit more, just wanting to get enough strength to repeat the cycle. Its brain was tortured with hate now. All it could feel was hate for the annoying little gnat who kept making a fool of him and was now driving him into true, crippling pain. Despite how much weaker she was…she was still getting the best of him. Despite the fact that he had managed to drain her with only a few attacks of his own, she was still out there…still plotting against him…still being a thorn in his side… It filled him with too much hate now. He was no longer amused…just infuriated. He wanted her to die. He wanted this city to die. He didn't even care if he had already killed Krystea at this point. All he wanted was her to die. Die…die…die…die…die…

And yet, he was growing tired. He had discharged so much power so rapidly at this point that he was actually winded. The pain wasn't helping. It was hard to focus…hard to concentrate… Even his vocal cords hurt from screaming so loudly for her blood in profane languages…

As he hovered there, recovering his stamina, he hissed again at what was going on around him. The entire zone was annihilated and burning…at least, in the spots where there was anything left to burn. Smoke and dust continued to rise and slowly fade into the darkness overhead, now quite violent and tempestuous. The winds were blowing at it severely now. Much of Diablos' control over it was broken as he pushed more and more passion and energy into focusing on this fight. It was barely staying a cloud cover by now. He would like to say nothing could survive this…but in all honesty, he couldn't tell. It was ironic. By now, the woman had been drained of so much power he couldn't even sense her over the cloud of his own destruction. One more head-on hit would finish her. She had been pushing herself to the limit the whole time and was on the edge of death. And yet…he couldn't get in one little hit…

Something caught in the monster's vision. He snapped his head to it and raised his one arm…and then growled and spat curses. All he saw was his hovering throne about a quarter mile away, idly lowering back to the ground…

_Damn you all…_ He hissed mentally. _I should turn your bones to ashes…slay you all…feast on your carcasses… Worthless humans…maggot spawn pupils of that bitch… I hate you all! I hate you! I _will_ kill you! Get your sickening souls out of my face for good! I'll make you all burn! I'll roast you alive and…_

Despite the blinding rage that had seized Diablos…despite how powerfully it held him and would not let him go…a much darker, more insidious, and…worst of all…calmer voice began to speak in his brain at that. A new delightfully horrific possibility had lit up in his brain. A thought of sweet maliciousness and cruelty pervaded his senses. When it did, he calmed down quickly. His rage almost evaporated all together. A horrible little flame lit up in his head and promised something better, and almost immediately his toothy sneer vanished and turned into a wide grin instead.

He still had one play left to make.

Hissing out slow breaths of air…putting a little chuckle into them this time…Diablos' infernal gaze turned beneath him. He saw only smoldering rubble all around him. However, he scanned it none the less…knowing _she_ was out there. She had to be…watching him…waiting for him to act again so she could think of herself so cleverly turning his latest move back against him. Well, not this time… He chuckled in a high pitched whisper to himself at his own dark glee at the thought. Then he spoke again. His tone was wilder…more crazed…and yet still bore a bit of sense and logic on it from his old persona as he spoke out. He sounded in a long, low voice…making sure it carried.

"Come out, little Cetra… Come out wherever you are…" He taunted. His large voice echoed and resounded over the landscape…but that was all. It gained no answer. He kept looking around, waiting for her to surprise attack him, as he kept speaking.

"Come on… Don't be bashful… You know…don't you? I can't kill you… I need you…" This last comment came out like the big bad wolf promising little red riding hood he wouldn't eat her…full of maliciousness and obviously a trick. However, he spoke it regardless.

Naturally, it gained no answer.

"I…I don't want to hurt you…" Diablos continued as he kept looking around himself. "I…I'd…just like to…tell you something… I want to know, Cetra…Aerith, if I may… Do you know what's gone on since I had you mummified?"

A pause momentarily. Diablos' thin pupils flicked from side to side. A forked tongue parted his teeth and licked over his lipless mouth.

"Do you know…what's become…of your little children?"

Diablos paused here. He couldn't see her…but he knew the truth. He could almost smell it on the air. There was nothing like that flavor…the aroma of a soul suddenly freezing in horror. Somewhere…he knew she had turned as pale as she had when she was lifeless.

"You know…your students…" Diablos continued, as he kept scanning the area. "They…they were…very…very talented, you know… Especially the black mages…" Another hesitation. "I…grew quite…quite fond of them…really. I made them…my very…special pets. Or maybe you already knew this? Didn't you…recognize…any faces around my throne?"

Diablos looked to his hovering throne there. He half expected her to shoot out from wherever she was and try to do something about them. It didn't happen…but he smelled it. Smelled more fear and more horror coming out from somewhere. His tongue flicked out again…tasting it.

_Yes…now we're getting somewhere…_

"But I'm afraid to tell you that I didn't find much other use for the others… I didn't need any…white mages…or the like… But I still made good use of them…oh yes…" The demon's eyes narrowed as he grinned wider. "You…fed them very well…Aerith. I only got to sample one of them myself… The rest I threw to my new hoardes."

He hesitated a moment, letting this sink in.

"Siren…knows her craft very well… They didn't even scream…as the former humans…tore them apart…limb by bloody limb…"

_There it is…_

_The sense of total misery._

It came out strong now as soon as he spoke it. He didn't know what was with this woman…why she wasn't coming out and attacking him in blind, foolish rage…but it didn't change the fact that he could smell her sudden despair and anguish at what she had heard. It filled him with a rush of ecstasy…making his flesh tingle with delight on sensing it. It almost made him forget his anger…

"Which one…was your favorite…Aerith?" He asked aloud, his voice turning into a twisted coo. "You want to know…which one…was _our_ favorite?"

"Sick bastard!"

Diablos turned his head to the side as a voice shot out from the ground. However…it wasn't female or even anguished. Rather…it was the sound of a foolish weakling who let his emotions get the best of him time and time again. Though he was beaten and bruised…apparently, Leviathan's ilk still had a soft spot for humanity. That was because, not the Sorceress, but Ifrit suddenly leapt out of whatever hole he had been hiding in and was now rushing across the battlefield, straight for the position beneath Diablos. Weak as he was, his face was tight with plenty of anger and rage. That only served to feed Diablos more.

At any rate, killing this weakling would do nothing. With a snort, Diablos pointed a single talon at the approaching flaming esper and shot out a bolt of black energy. Only a single one was more than sufficient. It cut across the sky at lightning speed and impacted Ifrit in the breast. The esper never even got close enough to mount a true attack. As soon as the blast hit him, he instantly went rigid and stiff. Diablos didn't bother frying him. He cut off the energy soon after, even as Ifrit's own blazing aura dimmed into gray dullness. After that, he cut off the power and watched as he collapsed to the ground in a heap. He didn't move on landing.

Diablos turned his head up and around to his surroundings. He snorted.

"A fine matron you turned out to be, Aerith… I make a manfeast of your brats…and only this hotheated creature comes out to avenge them… What a savior you ended up being… You saved the world several times…only to fail those who depended on you most of all…"

Still no answer. No other change. Ifrit lay in a pile on the rubble far below, but no other espers made a move. Diablos cracked a sneer again. After waiting for another few moments of silence, he turned and finally focused on one particular spot.

His own floating throne…

…And the remaining students of Aerith perched on it.

"I'd think…you wouldn't want the job of looking after all those brats…Sorceress…" Diablos sneered aloud.

His palm began to raise on his hand until it was aimed right at the floating throne.

"In that case…let me take the last of them off your hands."

Without more than a second's pause, he fired off a destructive orb of energy at the platform.

The sweetest sound in the world to the infernal beast…more glorious than any heavenly choir…was what he heard echoing from the ground beneath him. The sound of one particular female reverberating the sound of her own heart breaking in two…filling Diablos with wonderful, delicious misery and anguish…

"NOOO!"

She shot up from the ground from an unknown location…but it didn't matter. He knew where she was going, and so she did. She was barely glowing now. Her wings were fading and ruffled like she was more of a dead rotting bird rather than a glorious angel. By now, she had to be using what power was left in her…all of it at once. All the better for Diablos. He actually let her tear after his attack for a moment…let her shoot after at her own limit of ability…let her nearly surpass it…

Then, he made her misery complete.

Moving even faster…he shot down to her path and lashed out with his remaining limb. Quite easily…he seized her by the leg. Immediately, his talons dug in and drew blood as he anchored himself into her flesh. Then, without another moment's pause, not even letting her recover enough from her agony to realize she was caught, he ripped her out of the sky and downward as hard and fast as he could. The ground rushed up to them quick, and as they came down upon it…Diablos swung the woman down against the ground as hard as he could, as if she was some giant bat or battering weapon.

To his satisfaction, he felt her ankle give a snap as her face was ground into the rubble and pavement beneath him with a sickening crunch.

Diablos opened his mouth and cackled in mad delight, loving the sound of bones breaking and smelling the blood flow. Aerith went limp in his grasp. Her magical power faded and nearly went out…and all the while he reveled in glory. But that wasn't satisfying enough. He wanted more. Although he wished she could see this instead of having her face ground against gravel, he decided that she was feeding him enough misery for now. Instead, he looked up in delight to see the results of his attack…to watch as the throne was destroyed and to see the children annihilated…

He didn't quite see that.

He had made the orb slow moving on purpose…to draw the woman out in a desperate attempt to stop it. As a result, even after smashing the Cetra into the ground, it still hadn't struck yet. But it was nearly there. However…something else was happening…

Towering above the ground, suddenly using whatever strength he had left…was Alexander. The colossus, broken and busted as he was, was flinging his body upward toward the throne. Of course, Diablos had already told the children to die now with a mental message. As a result, they blasted away at the weakened holy esper, their own meager powers enough to destroy more of his armor and drive him into more agony as weak as he was, trying to force him back so that Diablos' attack still managed to destroy them. They did force him back a little…but the monolith wouldn't give up. He continued to push himself up and tried to surge against the throne platform…

It was for nothing. The orb landed a moment later…striking the giant in the back of the head instead. The explosion went off, and proceeded to throw him forward. His own body was flung into the floating platform with violent force…fracturing the giant flying piece of stonework in two and sending it toppling and crumbling to the sides. What a pity…the giant had tried to be a hero, and ended up only contributing to its destruction. The demon laughed in delight as he saw the giant oaf crash to the ground, the platform crumbling around his own head…the children falling everywhere around him like scattered building blocks to certain death…

Diablos was still snickering in insidious delight as he looked back down to the woman at his feet. His hand continued to draw blood from her leg, and the broken ankle began to turn ashy and pale as his own presence sucked the life out of the limb. She herself writhed feebly against the ground that she had been smashed into…her face digging against the smoldering rubble…

_No…let me see it!_

Diablos quickly bent down, and as he did he proceeded to violently fling the woman over onto her back again. As he did, her wings fully deteriorated, breaking into tiny feathers which immediately evaporated. Her face was exposed to him.

_Yes! That's it!_

Full of misery and pain…streaked with tears, bruises, and blood… Dirty…marred…defeated. She stared back at him through her own swollen orbs, the tears continuing to bubble forth. And yet, her eyes weren't as sad as they could be. They still had some small degree of determination in them…some sense of hope…

_Disgusting._

His talon shot off of her leg and his hand wrapped around her throat instead, beginning to throttle her. He felt the flesh turn to ice around his limb, and his twisted, scaly mouth grinned. Blood and drool dribbled from it as his yellow eyes burned into hers. He stretched out his black wings in front of her and yanked her head up off the ground, so that she was half on the rubble, but the rest of it was forced to glare into his own face. The putrid scent of his own body washing over her as his power overshadowed her completely. He giggled like a twisted, spoiled infant.

_"Hee-hee! I win! I WIN!"_ He blasted in her face. "I've taken everything from you! Given you nothing to live for or hope for! Now give me what's mine, Aerith! Give me your despair! Your totally crushed spirit! Your dreams turned into nothing! _Give it to me! I've earned it! I've nothing left to take from you! Die in my bare hands!"_

Aerith choked beneath the grasp of Diablos. Somehow, she raised her own scraped, dirty hands to grab his talon, but she was powerless to break it off. The demon continued to cackle and pant in front of her in eager delight, wanting to crush the life out of her through his sheer persona and victory. The woman weakly looked back, her own breath getting shallow, her own life fading away inside his grasp. She tried to pry him away for a moment longer, but it was hopeless. He knew it…and so he continued to grin and wait…wait for her to either sink into oblivion…or for her heart to freeze in his own grip…

The Cetra swallowed and gagged, struggling to get some air. One of her hands slipped off of his own foul, taloned hand and went down, slumping onto her own torso. She continued to struggle even then, even when her hand appeared to lose the strength to fight back. However, when she finally got enough air to croak something…she simply shook her head at him.

"You…poor…pathetic…creature… Hate…really is…all you have left…"

Diablos' smile faded ever so slightly…not out of actually thinking about that phrase or what it meant, but out of puzzlement that this woman would have made this comment. In another moment, he would have laughed at her. He would have mocked her…saying she was reciting empty platitudes when she was totally beaten…that nothing mattered except he would live and she would die…

Yet at that moment, Aerith raised her hand again from her chest, this time cupped in a strange way, and set it right in front of her, right in between her eyes and Diablos' own.

The impossible happened.

Quite suddenly…the Magical Lamp appeared in her grasp.

Diablos found himself staring right into his own eyes on its inner mirror.

The demon hadn't time to comprehend how it had happened. He barely had time to shriek mentally that it was impossible…that it couldn't have happened. And he was so awash with rage and hate now that even what logic and wisdom he had possessed was not present to tell him how. He couldn't put together the plain and simple fact that Aerith had never intended on winning this fight. He couldn't realize that she had, right from the moment of the first blow, expected everything to end just like this. And that was why, on the direction of Leviathan, she used an extremely rare spell that had come into use just briefly in limited circles at the end of the War of the Magi: Vanish.

The entire time they had been fighting…it had been right there, hanging around her neck via a hastely fashioned wire for a necklace. Concealed by the presence of a vanish spell, she had kept it safe as she battled on and on…not to win but to make Diablos angry. Guided by Leviathan, she had found a different way to make him focus all of his rage and hate on her. To make him throw all his defenses to the wind. To make him spend all of his power in errant blasts. To bring him to the point he was right now…his mind completely defenseless and his body drained of stamina…unable to possibly resist the power of the Magical Lamp. She had intended to bring out the full limit of his power, and she had done so…and then simply waited for him to try and give the killing blow, her mental tutor knowing the whole time he would try and drag it out to "savor" it… And at last…the prime moment had come.

Again, Diablos attempted to gasp…and again, it came out as a thin wheeze as the air appeared to be sucked from his own lungs. His eyes widened…but that was all this time. There was no looking away. His strength was gone and he had been too focused on Aerith. He could do nothing but stare as his body went rigid all over again…and his thoughts of anger and violence melted away. Staring into that lens, he realized there was no possibility of breaking loose. No chance of forcing it away. No way to get his limbs to smack it aside. He already felt it arresting the strength he had, draining away his remaining reserves just as he had done to the others around him time and time again. No…it was clear now. There was no escape.

The monster attempted to open its mouth wider…but then froze completely, petrified in that last moment as he saw all of his hopes and dreams of creating a world of death vanish. He held in that position only a moment…

Then it began. His body began to twist. It was barely noticeable at first, but it quickly became obvious. His face and torso seemed to stretch and contort…the front of it pulling away from the rest of the body. Not only that, but as it pulled away is started to compress together and focus…as if it was being pushed through an invisible funnel. As it continued to stretch away from the main body…it began to pull more with it beyond, beginning to push more of the body along the same path. Strange as it seemed…this monstrous demon suddenly seemed to turn into a giant piece of taffy…being slowly compressed and twisted to be pulled toward one focal point…the open Magical Lamp.

A sound started to echo out as Diablos continued to twist…some sort of cosmic warping noise that signified him being drawn into the oblivion. His body continued to get drawn, bit by bit, and twisted into that funnel shape. Only it didn't become just a flat tube. It continued to shrink and focus until it was the width of a pin…and then even less than that as it continued to be drawn forward and into the Magical Lamp. By the time it entered it, there didn't appear to be any matter at all left within the strand. And yet, Diablos' body was vanishing none the less. It continued to be drawn inward, more and more of the body being "sucked" inside as time ticked by. It picked up speed as it did so, drawing more in faster and faster… The cosmic warping noise continued to peel out louder as it took place…

Finally, all of Diablos' body was twisting into it. His wings began to vanish, at long last even his arm, stretched beyond the Magical Lamp, went as well. Aerith stiffened and held the object steady, and as she did the fingers that enclosed her neck warped and were pulled away one by one, drawn after the rest of the body without ever changing their position around her throat. She did gasp as soon as the hand was removed, even before the fingers had fully gone away, and she loosened up slightly. However…she kept holding the object out in front of her…and kept watching as Diablos was drawn into it. She didn't dare move or do anything to stop the process.

The cosmic twist sound finally began to die down…like someone drinking in the last bit of liquid through a straw. The last of Diablos' body compressed and was pushed toward the Magical Lamp. It vanished into a tiny tendril…and then vanished all together as it went inside. Soon after, the sound stopped…and all seemed to be done.

Quickly, Aerith reached out with her other hand, still frozen at the position where it had tried to keep Diablos' hand off of her, and grabbed the lid of the lamp, shoving it over the opening and closing it. Immediately, her trembling fingers, still pale and numb from Diablos' touch, threw the clamps on the side and shut it. It was sealed in moments…without the slightest change in weight. No one would have ever guessed the tiny object held anything at all now…innocuous and safe as it appeared, without the slightest change it had before. Only one who was magically inclined could even sense a dark aura coming off of it…the only indication of the power that was within…

Aerith closed her eyes after this and let out a long exhale. Then, her body collapsed back against the ground. Her arms sprawled out to the sides. Her hands went loose, but she kept enough force in one hand so as to keep holding on to the Magical Lamp…not daring to risk the slightest shake coming to it. After that, she began to breathe slowly…struggling to regain her energy…while tears began to flow out of her eyes again.

The dark esper uprising was over.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	36. The Fifth Age Begins

This chapter was one of the hardest to write for the Diablos Saga. At this point, there's so many different characters and plot threads and emotions to keep in line that it's hard to make something that seems plausible. Not to mention I'm bringing people back into the story who've been out for some time. I hope I did well enough.

* * *

Reno stepped over to the cracked glass window of the drug store. He cast a glance inside just long enough to see what he wanted, and then he quickly stepped over the broken frame and into the interior. A moment later, he emerged with a fresh pack of cigarettes. He quickly began to tap on the pack as he looked out to the new arrival, a rather large commercial rig for some local grocery with trailer attached, hearing it slowly chug to a stop. The brakes hissed as they went on. The engine idled, and the driver's side door opened momentarily to expose who was at the wheel.

"Somehow…" Reno murmured aloud. "I never really thought of you as the truck-driving type."

Vincent stared indifferently back as he stepped out momentarily from the front cab. "It's not the type of vehicle…it's what's inside."

Reno merely snorted and shook his head. "Whatever…"

"You really think that rig is going to get us over what's left of the city out there?" Elena asked from nearby. She had just finished looking disapprovingly at Reno, but now looked even more so at the rig and gestured to it uneasily.

"It better. There's not many vehicles left intact for the moment, and this is probably the only one big enough." Vincent answered. "Besides, I'm not driving it." He accented this with a look back to Reno.

The Turk began to open the pack and get out a cigarette. "Rude's the real wheelman…but alright. Guess we've all got to make do."

Although the sun was out again and Junon had resumed its bright orange shade that it usually possessed at mornings and evenings, one could hardly tell that this was the same town. Most of it had sustained some form of damage, but where Vincent and the two Turks were gathered right now, toward the entrance, was one of the worst war zones. It would be impossible to get anything short of a bulldozer in there for weeks, despite what the earth espers had done to "flatten" the road. Most cars in the city were totaled or damaged at this point. Vincent had managed to somehow obtain this rig and stash it under a secure steel overpass, and that was the only reason they had a car now.

The dark mists had blown away. The sun broke through once again. Although no one knew for sure if all of the enemy was gone at that point, somehow everyone had realized it was over. As the sun and sea seemed to blow away the darkness and gloom, the last few monsters that had willingly followed Diablos screeched and fled, returning to their dark worlds and primitive states once again. Everyone else who had been in Diablos' force was either dead or restored to humanity. As things calmed down, the city, aside from its destruction, soon turned into a mess of three groups of people…frazzled defenders, terrified refugees, and bewildered, mostly naked humans. They were in the greatest amount of confusion…humiliated as well as possessing no memory of what had happened, trying to hide themselves among the rubble and try and piece together what was going on.

As most of the authority figures were either dead or had run for it, there wasn't much in a semblance of order for the first couple of hours. Mostly people just picked themselves up, bound their wounds, and then attempted to form some sort of cohesive structure.

But after that, things began to settle somewhat. Those who had fled returned. Ideas and accusations of cowardice aside, now that the danger was over they were useful for helping to establish order again. Most importantly, however, the legion of airships that had been hovering idly over the ocean bay, their own crews struggling to realize what had happened before opening fire around them on the flying monsters, helping to get rid of them as well, finally moved in to touch down. Luckily, the airfields had been spared most of the destruction. That provided a large body of organized individuals who went to work creating some sense of order as well. With these "tools" in place, the surviving government officials (who had "miraculously" escaped the chaos and damage yet nevertheless were welcome now) began to organize efforts to round up both survivors and refugees. They also managed to break into the emergency shelters and get out some covers to throw on the mass number of mostly-naked, confused individuals running around. Last Reno had heard, they were scrambling to try and find out what lodging spaces were available throughout the city to store the massive influx of injured as well as victims for at least the night and placing calls out overseas to Wutai for help. Of course, to do that, they first had to rebuild the antenna towers that had been destroyed before this all began.

All in all, there was still a lot of work to be done, but at this point it was, as the proverbial term went, "the kind of problems you want to have". There was a team about halfway down one block picking away at some rubble to help some buried survivors out, but for the moment Reno and his own small group was clear at the entrance to town. It would be a while before they got enough roadway officials together to start seeing how they were going to fix that giant mess. It looked like traffic into Junon would be coming in the old south entrance for quite some time.

Large, ungainly semi aside, Reno was actually in a mood to hurry up and get going. They still had two more of their group in that city, after all, and he had a feeling no one would be too eager to help them if those giant esper things were still looming around them. Hence, once Vincent had stepped out of the way and he had managed to get his first drag from his cigarette, he began to make his way over the rubble toward the truck.

About that time, he and the others became aware of a rhythmic thudding taking place in the air. The sound suddenly came out from the sky and rapidly grew in volume, indicating the source was passing over them. Reno paused and looked to the sky on hearing it. Moments later and he saw it. A single helicopter was streaking over the top of the city. It was a smaller model, but he did notice that a large news symbol was emblazoned on it. He was forced to take his cigarette out of his mouth to let out a snicker as he saw it pass overhead and keep going.

"Well…look what's still standing after all this…" He mused as he watched it. "Probably eager to get started too. Modern day parasites, I tell ya'… They thrive off of dead and dying things…"

"Hey, forget the news team." Elena suddenly sounded, causing Reno to look away and back to her. He saw that she was gesturing back toward the entrance of town. "Think we've got one who arrived late?"

The Turk followed her gaze. Even as he was looking down, however, he already heard its own sound coming in as that of the helicopter faded. What was the unmistakable noise of an incredibly large engine moving giant metal treads reached Reno's ears as he peered toward the entrance of Junon.

Lumbering across the uneven ground, albeit somewhat easier than many would due to the fact that it was a tank and not a regular vehicle, was one of the old Cromwell models that had been deployed in Midgar. A truly old one, mind you. One that had either escaped salvage during the days of New Shinra or had been dismissed as being too badly damaged to be worth it. It sort of showed. The thing was belching out so much black smoke it looked as if it was trying to reinstate the black cloud that the big bat thing had created earlier. Nevertheless, it looked like it was doing a steady fifteen miles an hour…which, painfully slow as it might seem to a rider, was faster than most humans could sprint and probably could maintain that speed indefinitely longer than their stamina would allow.

The ancient vehicle seemed to grind some of its gears doing so, but it made it toward the ruins of a roadblock and began to pass over it. After some struggling, it made it over and continued to sputter and clunk all the way toward the gathered group. They simply watched and waited as it came forward. Reno himself took another drag as he watched it. Unlike how Elena had reacted, he doubted that this tank bore any more hostiles. She was tensing up, but he and Vincent were perfectly calm as it came. They realized that this craft was definitely not something from that Deepground organization or even a good weapon's branch of Isuzu. Nevertheless, it had come from that direction, and Reno had a few good guesses as to who exactly it was…

Slowly, the vehicle came to a stop. It didn't shut down. Whoever was driving it no doubt realized the damn thing would probably never start again if that happened. However, after a moment or so, the upper hatch on the craft hissed and then popped open. Even before his face came out, Reno recognized the hair as it emerged from the tank and knew who it was. He quickly lifted his whole body over the edge and leapt out all together, touching down on the ground. When he did, Reno stifled a snicker. Despite everything he had seen today, this was awkward.

No matter how hard he tried, Reno could never forget the face of Cloud Strife. Hence, he recognized him as he came down outside of the vehicle. And where one was, there was usually the other… Sure enough, Tifa soon came out after him, much more nimbly pulling herself around the top hatch and yanking her body over the top to land on the ground. Lastly, Barret's unmistakable perpetually annoyed face poked itself out of the top, although he didn't get out of the tank. He just looked around.

What was odd about them wasn't this appearance (or even the fact that they had arrived, for once, after everything was over). It was their choice in clothing. Rather than being in full black battle regalia as they normally seemed to be, they were entirely unarmed. As far as clothing went, all that they had one were some really cheap white t-shirts and boxers…all of which, Reno noticed, had spray-painted, bad sayings on them. They looked like they had been ripped off of some very cheap, low-budget store that specialized in them. At least Tifa and Cloud had some sort of saying on their own shirts that was just a dramatic salute of Edge firefighters and police officers. Barret, on the other hand, kept his undersized t-shirt mostly hidden as he slumped halfway in the tank, but it was obvious that it was taking some popular child's cartoon character and turning him into some sort of drug addict. Of course, that was just the shirts. The boxers, on the other hand, were far more explicit…

Reno flicked some ashes off of his cigarette as he glanced to Tifa first, and then Cloud. He actually did let out a chuckle on seeing the wording on Cloud's boxers. "Nice of you to show up at last…and to introduce me to 'the Legend'."

Cloud merely frowned and held his tongue. Tifa blushed a bit as she covered up her own naughty message. "…It was the only store in Edge that hadn't been looted and we were in a hurry." She muttered.

"Forget about the damn clothes!" Barret yelled from the tank. "What the hell happened here? Damn place looks like Meteor hit it!"

"It's a long story." Reno answered.

"…Just the same, we'd like to hear it." Cloud answered after frowning a bit at that answer. "We've had enough confusion for one day. We tried to radio ahead only to find that Junon is a dead zone."

"Are the kids here?" Tifa threw in. "Are they alright?"

"We can explain on the way." Vincent announced, cutting the conversation off and redirecting attention to him. The man himself had not ceased moving since he had confirmed the identity of those driving the car, and had moved over to the opposite side of the truck and begun to enter. "We still need to get out to the heart of destruction and see how Aerith is doing."

Reno kind of wished Vincent hadn't said that. As the man in red nonchalantly entered the truck and shut the door behind him, the Turk himself groaned as he saw the predictable reaction of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret all reacting in surprise to hearing that.

"Aerith? I thought she got swallowed by that thing?" Tifa immediately retorted.

"If she's here, what about Ragnar?" Cloud added.

"And where the hell is Marlene?" Barret threw in, starting to yank himself free of the tank.

Reno rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He turned and began to walk to the front of the car as well.

"It's getting to where we need to get this little story published to avoid having to retell the whole damn thing again and again…" He murmured.

* * *

Leviathan surveyed the group again. He himself had burns and warped scales over much of his body, and he was certain a few vertebrae were cracked. A bit comical…how he used to be the most powerful thing on the face of Gaia…or at least thought of that way. Certainly didn't feel so now. Even in this new body he had issues of "mileage". He definitely didn't care for how polluted and foul the water was of this coastal city. Hence, he wasn't going to get a rejuvenating dip anytime soon. That meant he just had to bear with it and let his powers recover naturally as his own regeneration slowly repaired him.

Quetzacoatl's light was dim but still present. One of her wings was held at an angle to accent a broken bone, and she was having to hover for the moment about a foot above the ground. As he watched unpleasantly, Shiva, drained of magical power yet probably the most physically sound of all of them, limped over to her, still grasping her injured side, and took the wing in her arms. Quetzacoatl answered by inhaling and exhaling a bit, and then gritting her teeth and bearing down. Shiva looked back at her a moment, and then, coldly and as quickly as possible, snapped her broken bone back into place. The hovering power immediately cut off as the bird esper faltered to the ground and splayed out, being supported only by the wing that Shiva was holding. She let out a pained whine from her tiny beak and rested there momentarily, still in agony. But in the end, she stiffened a bit and forced a nod to Shiva. The ice esper released her then.

A weak croaking was going up from near Leviathan, in the vaguest form of a chuckle. It came from a rather dirty, messed up, curled ball of pale green fluff chuckling at who he was currently resting on. Spilled backward, his own "fire" looking rather faded and minor, Ifrit lay sprawled out on the ground with his long tongue lolling out of his wolvish mouth. Carbuncle was literally curled up in his lap, but neither of them could do much about the other at this point. Those two, Leviathan realized, were the biggest miracles of all that day. Diablos had been saving his juice for the Sorceress when he blasted Ifrit, fortunately. As for Carbuncle…well, it was only because he had ripped through every barrier the little esper had erected around his body that he didn't get deep fried from that opening shot. At that point, the death creature still had more than enough power to spare. Nevertheless, the esper still managed a laugh at Ifrit.

"Heh…still remember you…all gung ho out there…" He mused. "Mr. Why-We-Helping-Humans-Anyway decides to try and wipe that smile off of Diablos' face…"

Ifrit let out a deep throated growl, but it was a weak one. "I said I didn't like humans… That didn't mean I didn't hate that bastard even more…"

Leviathan let out a half smile of himself at that, and then turned his head up a bit to their last member of their group… Towering over them, having dragged his body over to their location before propping himself up on his remaining limbs and then resting there, was the bulk of Alexander. His glow was practically non-existent at this point, but the massive holy esper still functioned. You could see just the faintest plumes of light inside the holes in his massive metal mask, dented and fractured as it was, where his eyes should have been. Even now, there was the sense that the huge construct was trying to protect them through his last position, turning his own body into a living shelter over the five espers, three adults…and who he had spent the last of his reserves rescuing.

They were in an odd pile, slumped up around their matron, and were still out of it. Leviathan could detect that they might have been permanently damaged…as much magical power as Diablos had forced them to channel when they were still far too young to harness it. Something inside them could have burned out. They had gotten rather bruised and battered as well on the way down. Even unconscious, they had seen that two of them had broken bones and had braced them with scraps and junk from the surroundings. But Alexander had managed to save their lives and purge the spell that controlled them.

It had taken a whole hour for the lumbering metal giant to be able to drag himself over to them, struggling as best as he could to cradle the children with one tower-sized limb. They were all unconscious, of course. They'd be that way for the next two or three days at least. During that time, the others had gathered around the victor. Leviathan had removed the Magical Lamp from Aerith and quickly held onto it while the others tried to tend to her. However, there wasn't much they could do. Their own magical powers were sapped. Furthermore, they couldn't really treat her properly in the way she needed… She was sprawled out on the ground, breathing slowly, and shedding tears with no sign of altering from this position. The others realized the truth from that…that Diablos' words were still ringing through her head… Much as they had done, they hadn't stopped the monster completely, it seemed.

Whether by her will or not, the Cetra passed out not long after. The espers, with the help of Rex, made her as comfortable as possible. They were able to get a few blankets from the rubble and put one around her. The others, however, soon went to the children when Alexander brought them up. It was a small ray of light in the midst of how gloomy the victory had been. Rex struggled to wake her up to show her the good news, but all they could manage was a half-awake, half-asleep state. No doubt, as they lay the children around her, she probably thought she was having a dream. She smiled none the less, and seemed far more at peace afterward.

Leviathan looked to her again now and was forced to admit some admiration. She had shown a great deal of faith in him to allow him to tell her what to do time and again and do it again and again. She had suffered more than once during that fight, and she had kept going when he told her to bite down and keep making Diablos angrier. He had gambled a lot on Diablos getting mad enough to not fight smartly. Even at the end, he had feared that he had gotten wise…that he would have ruined everything. Leviathan had come close…very, very close…to seizing control of Aerith's mind. He thought she'd break. He thought she'd charge out earlier…that he'd have to control her to keep her from losing her composure. In fact, she did at the end…but it worked out for the best regardless. Even her desperate attempt to save her children had been made with the notion in mind that Diablos was nearing the breaking point. Even then, she was still devoting at least some of her thoughts toward everyone else in the world. It was small wonder she had saved this planet before through the power of her own spirit…

Lastly, the one responsible for this whole stand being made was close by as well, wrapped in another blanket. Quetzacoatl had managed just enough hovering power to shoot in, take the Cetra Krystea up, and get her out of the way before Diablos' own Omniapex would have destroyed her. She was recovering quickly too…far more quickly than her relation. Already, her aura was approaching consciousness again. She'd be awake soon. Although Leviathan knew that one couldn't possibly "clone a soul", the energy pattern he was detecting from her was so akin to Aerith's that it was uncanny. There was little doubt in his mind that if she was to awaken as a Sorceress as well that her own constitution would allow her to weather far more strain from magic casting than her "sister". While she lacked the spiritual or mental means at the moment, she likely possessed enough potential to surpass her…

While still thinking this over, the sounds of rubble shifting went out. The espers and Rex, nodding off himself in one "corner" around their group, turned and looked toward the sound.

Leviathan watched as he saw some of the rubble and pavement pieces on the ground suddenly shift and tumble aside. Unlike before when it had happened, this event was not earth shaking or quaking but was rather mild and isolated. The sea serpent's own sensory ability was a bit drained, but at this moment he was able to detect who was approaching. The aura was not hostile, and he guessed that much from the manner of the arrival. Therefore, he only waited as the last few pieces of material were shoved aside and the two responsible slowly brought themselves up and out of the ground.

Leviathan stared blankly back along with the others. Ifrit, weak as he was, forced his teeth to bare in the most threatening look he could muster, and Rex looked more than a little fearful on seeing them. The others, however, were stoic.

Sacred himself rubbed some blood off of his cheek and dusted his body from spare bits of dirt and grime. He grumbled a bit, but none of it was audible even in his monstrous voice. As for the smaller Minotaur, he went ahead and let show his own bumps and bruises as he took a step forward, his hoof feet moving surprisingly nimbly throughout the ground as he made his way forward. His step was a little stiff despite his attempts to look calm enough, showing he was at least a little injured, but other than that he kept moving forward until he was nearly before Leviathan. Once there, he stopped and crossed his arms casually. His head bowed slightly.

"…doomtrain ran for it." He said after a moment, breaking the silence. "he fought with us only until diablos was defeated. after that, he fled. he's in bad shape though. he won't be causing any real trouble for a while."

"I see." Was the only answer he received from Leviathan.

The two groups looked on at each other. Ifrit let out another growl, to which Shiva answered by nudging him with her foot, indicating to hold off for now. Rex himself looked between the two of them nervously, and Leviathan could understand why. At this point, he couldn't tell who would win a fight. The brothers had lost quite a bit of their power tangling with Doomtrain, but out of all of them they possessed the most. Combined, they might be able to beat them…but this time it was likely one of them would get seriously injured or die in the process. Where they were standing was still ambiguous after that. Silence reigned as time ticked by, neither of them saying anything. Minotaur looked up after a while and stared at Leviathan, and the sea serpent calmly stared back. They locked gazes but said nothing else.

Finally, Leviathan ventured to break it. They had to have an answer today, before things went any further.

"…What will you two do now?"

Minotaur hesitated on hearing this. He turned his head around after a moment and looked to his younger brother. Sacred, in response, looked down and dug his hoof into the ground a bit. He grumbled a bit, but said nothing else. After staring a little, Minotaur turned and looked back to Leviathan.

"…i think we were wondering what you had in mind."

"Does that mean you wish to join us?" Leviathan answered. "You want to go back to the proverbial 'way things used to be'? I don't know much of where we will fit in inside this new world or where we will go from here, but I will say this. We won't be doing as Diablos did…attempting to dominate anyone or anything. While I agree that being simply things of legend and trying to exist apart from humans was a mistake, so too, I hope you realized from today, is attempting to enslave them just as they enslaved us."

Sacred grumbled a bit louder here. He turned away a bit and stamped a hoof against the ground, but said nothing else. Minotaur continued to patiently watch and listen.

"Do you think you could live that way?" Leviathan continued. "After all that happened, that you wish to exist as equals? Regardless of whatever hate or anger or resentment you might have for the War of the Magi?"

Minotaur was silent after that. He turned to Sacred again. The larger one turned back, but didn't grumble this time. They appeared to swap some sort of ideas between each other as they stood there. In the end, the little one turned back and seemed to give some sort of mutual idea between the two of them.

"i've been thinking about things like that ever since we started chasing doomtrain. and while i might have some unresolved issues of anger…i'm also very tired of war and killing and being used. deep down inside, i think my brother is too. he's just too proud to admit it. i also see that going it alone in this new world is not the way to do things unless we want to get hunted down and picked off one by one. we might not see exactly eye-to-eye…but if it has to be your way or the way of people like siren or diablos…i think we'd much rather be with you. so until we get a better idea of how the people in this world will react to us being back…for now we'll do things your way. after all…out of all the races and factions running around on gaia at the moment, you're the only one who hasn't tried to use us yet for his own ends."

"JUST KEEP THE TWERPS THAT TRIED TO HURT ME OUT OF MY WAY." Sacred grumbled from the back.

Despite all that happened, Leviathan cracked a half of a smile at this. "Fair enough."

A sense of relief began to come over the group at that. Some tensions eased. Minotaur became fairly normal himself. Leviathan could still sense large amounts of anxiety around Sacred and Ifrit…but both of them were hotheads, and he had a feeling in time they'd realize they had that in common. There was still some hesitation, but overall Leviathan felt that things would be alright between them from now on. Minotaur wasn't a killer or truly hateful like the others. Sacred, angry as he was, wasn't either, he felt. He had a feeling that Minotaur didn't so much persuade him to see his point of view time and time again as he simply helped Sacred to see the logical side of things over his own anger. In time, he figured they would indeed be resolved to humanity…depending on what their group was able to do within the next short period of time. The future, indeed, had lots of uncertainty…but he had a feeling he could trust the minotaur brothers a lot more than any other former members of Diablos' group.

Minotaur finally uncrossed his arms and relaxed somewhat. "alright…so what now? doomtrain ran off. what of the others? is siren still here?"

Leviathan shook his head. "Not surprisingly, no. As soon as we were all occupied with battle, she fled."

"So how long before the bitch makes this whole thing happen again?" Ifrit grumbled from his position. "She's the one who gave Diablos all his minions…"

"She won't." Leviathan answered. "Her power can't seduce me or Alexander, and we're both more powerful than her in terms of combat. She never made herself that much of a nuisance when there were others that could stop her. Just the same, however, we'll need to find her soon once we've recovered, along with all the others that fled."

"It might take some time, but I think we could persuade Pandemona." Shiva mentioned. "Hopefully, he realized from what I did that we don't want to kill him. He might not be the best specimen of an esper in the world…but he's still one of us regardless. As for Cerberus…that's practically a lost cause. After what happened to him, he'll never be able to forgive humanity."

Carbuncle frowned from his ball shape. "I thought that he could actually heal from the deaths of his separate heads?"

"Yes, but the consciousness in that head will never be the same as the previous one." Leviathan answered. "For all intensive purposes, that part of his psyche and mentality was destroyed. It's not something that's very forgivable, I'm afraid. Yet nevertheless, I have to sympathize with Krystea. It was either him or her. And considering what would have been the consequences to the world if he had enabled Diablos to get his hands on Krystea…"

"Terrific." Carbuncle griped. "Anyway…one of the two jolly green giants ran away with his tail between his legs…or his spines or whatever you prefer… The other's going to be a couple weeks yet."

"Probably better we run into them first before they make an attempt to appear to humanity again." Leviathan answered. "Those two aren't espers in the traditional sense of the word…and neither are we, for that matter. We've come back, but we're not the same things we used to be."

Ifrit snorted. "So what exactly are we then?"

"I guess monster would be too derogatory…"

The espers and Rex all turned again on hearing the new voice. They soon found themselves looking toward the pile of unconscious bodies…although one of them wasn't that way anymore. Raising her head and seeming to be rather alert for having been drained of power was Krystea, turning her eyes around at all of them. Surprisingly, she looked rather calm as she stared at the towering beasts all around her. Much more calm than Rex had been at any rate.

They stared back for a few moments themselves, before Leviathan gave the woman a nod.

"Yes…it would."

The woman looked around a bit more before she focused on one person in particular: Shiva. The ice woman stared back with her normal expressionless manner. Krystea finally nodded to her.

"…What's your name?"

"Shiva." She answered immediately.

"…Thank you, Shiva." Krystea answered after a bit of a pause. "You saved me more than once out there."

The espers hesitated for a moment after hearing that. It was unusual to be thanked by a human after so long…or to be addressed like this, for that matter. Krystea, nervous as she was, was attempting to talk as if they were equals rather than creatures to be awed and shrank away from. Leviathan wasn't sure what to make of this. It could be a sign of potentially a better existence between the two that wasn't shrouded in so much mystery or fear…or it could have been a sign of how little they were feared now. But for now, he simply smiled at the gesture.

Shiva herself, in her normal cold manner, simply crossed her arms and looked to the others again. "Don't mention it."

Krystea turned to the rest afterward. "So…I guess we won?"

"If by won you mean Diablos is defeated, then yes." Leviathan answered. "His slaves have been freed and restored as well. I'm sure there's still more to do, but it will have to wait until Alexander has regained more of his power. But many of your people are dead. Much has been destroyed as well."

Krystea frowned in response and shifted her weight. "…That happens more than you'd think…" She murmured after a moment. "So…you're not espers…but you're all creatures that got brought back to life from a long time ago. Big ancient mythological beings or something, right?"

Sacred grouched from where he was. "DO I LOOK LIKE A MYTH TO YOU, GIRL? I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU."

"I suppose you could put it that way." Leviathan answered on his own, ignoring Sacred's comment.

Krystea looked back for a moment longer. "And…you all were killed by humans at one point, weren't you?"

That was an odd statement, but it rang on an especially sharp note with the group that was gathered. On hearing it, everyone went coldly silent. Ifrit bristled a bit as did Sacred. The others looked away from Krystea and to the ground or some of the ruins around them. Leviathan stared on, but his gaze looked away. Krystea continued to stare at them regardless, however, and finally spoke up again.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'… But if so, that's what I don't understand. Why did you all decide to help us instead of Diablos? I mean…I don't suppose it's a really big secret for me to tell you all that people are going to look at you and see just big monsters. It won't matter who you fought for or not. And even if he would have stabbed you in the back, you could have gone off on your own at the very least. The point is that you didn't have to do this."

Ifrit made a growl at last as he turned his head away from Krystea. "You things have a funny way of showing appreciation… Telling us we shouldn't have bothered… Maybe we shouldn't have."

"Ignore him." Shiva flatly responded to this, causing Ifrit to snap his head up and over to her. However, she paid him no mind and spoke on to Krystea. "He's like that a lot. As for your question…I can't answer it for anyone but myself. First of all, I wasn't doing it just for humanity's sake. The whole world and its future was on the line here, and we always cared about the fate of the Planet itself since we first became a species. But more than that… Humans tend to think of themselves as the only sentient beings on this world, but we always knew that wasn't the case. We've also known from birth what it meant to be more powerful than a great deal of other people…entire races that would know only to fear and live under you in terms of power. As you see, after that…it's purely up to the individual. Some of us feared to lose that position and resented it when it happened…and we'd only feel safe and secure again if we got it back by any means necessary. And others…we simply recognized that it is a universal evil for a race to live in terror or enslavement."

"We've always had an affection for your race." Leviathan added slowly. "Perhaps our mother designed us on purpose to be that way. I myself have loved humans as my own children before. And as such, you may see us as monsters or aliens or anything else…but I see a common bond between myself and you. We're all thinking, feeling individuals living on this world. You see us externally or in terms of power. But in terms of our souls, we are very much identical. Yet not all of us could realize that fact. Some could only see the past and what had come before. They couldn't see that, like us, humanity is something different again."

"or that so long as we hold onto hating something, we're just tools to be used by someone or something else." Minotaur spoke from his location at last. "we couldn't see that regardless of the past…much less a past that occurred hundreds of years ago or longer…some things are still just plain evil. there's no excuse for some things or acts. in the grand scheme of things, revenge is rather pity and shallow if you have to destroy innocents to get it."

"I'm not sure if that was satisfactory for you," Leviathan concluded. "But that's the best we can give you. What is right and wrong is more than our own petty feelings and jealousy or even retribution. Can you understand that?"

Krystea looked back to the espers silently for a few moments after Leviathan ended. Her eyes scanned them all for a few moments before focusing back on the main one, seeing their own facial features and trying to gauge their feelings regarding this explanation. However, most simply stared back, giving their silent assent. In the end, she turned back to Leviathan and crooked her gaze slightly.

"I don't want to sound rude or offend…but this self-sacrificial philosophy might explain why you guys went extinct."

"Feel that way if you want." Leviathan simply answered. "But this 'self-sacrificial philosophy' _does_ explain why you are sitting here now to think this way, as well as why your ancestors had a planet to live on and a species to be a member of for thousands of years."

Krystea stayed silent on hearing that.

"Um…before we get into anything else, I'm Rex, by the way…" The glassed youth spoke up from his own corner.

This gained the attention of the others, but it was short lived. Not long after they looked back to him, a noise began to come in over and through the ruins and start drifting through the group. Leviathan himself turned his head a bit when he noticed it, but his hearing wasn't excellent as it was for some of the other espers and he couldn't make it out right away. Instead, Carbuncle and Ifrit looked that way as well, and after a moment, Carbuncle was the one who gave a frown.

"Ugh…another one of those smelly, big, chocobo-less wagons you humans scurry around in is coming…and this one's louder and smellier than most."

Krystea turned to the small creature after hearing this. "Um…we call them cars…or, in this case…" She hesitated a moment to listen to the air. The noise began to grow louder as she did so, and soon she seemed to be able to identify it as well. "A semi."

Ifrit snorted again. "I don't care if some of them are 'I' or if some of them are 'you', 'they', 'he', 'she', or whatever. They're smelly and loud."

Krystea shook her head in answer to that and looked away. "…Perhaps you'd prefer us returning to mako power then…"

"…Krystea?"

A voice, similar to Krystea's and yet with a softer quality to it, came up suddenly. Leviathan turned and looked, but he already knew who it was before looking toward her. His eyes soon rested on Aerith, leaning her head up slightly from her own position and looking toward the direction of her "sibling". The other woman herself looked to her when she spoke and, to Leviathan's surprise, actually began to force herself up a bit as best as she could, trying to get over to her. The esper was again amazed at how fast she had recovered. She doubted Diablos had wanted her to get moving again so quickly. Although her limbs were shaky and she wasn't able to straighten herself up that well, Krystea did manage to disengage herself from her blanket and crawl over closer to Aerith. She seemed to have difficulty in moving, but she didn't have to go far to get closer to her. In just a few moments, she was putting herself down about ten feet away from her. The semi continued to get louder as it approached throughout this time.

"I'm here, Aerith." She answered, following it up with a half smile. "We've got to stop meeting each other like this… I prefer normal family reunions."

Leviathan saw the woman manage a smile in response to that light joke, but that was all. He knew better. Right now, she still looked exhausted from the fight…but he saw more behind her eyes. He knew that she was still thinking about who had been lost, and that was dragging down any joy she could have had from this victory. However, now that she was awake again and alert once more, she looked away from Krystea and around her. The sea serpent watched as her eyes scanned over the bodies huddled around her, still dozing away but clearly breathing. Now, it had to be becoming clear to her what had happened, and that what she had noticed before wasn't a dream. This small group of children had lived at least, avoiding the horrible fate that Diablos had planned.

On seeing this, the Cetra looked up into the sky…specifically toward the towering image of Alexander looking down over her and them all. To be honest, Leviathan himself was somewhat awed by him being there. He hadn't lived long enough throughout history for the old king to properly know how the holy esper would behave or act in gatherings. Yet now, he seemed to incline his head ever so slightly toward Aerith as she looked up to him.

"…Thank you." She told him, her voice quiet but her words definitely sincere.

The stoic giant looked back and didn't change, but it was alright. To him, it seemed as if it was only natural for the holy esper to have done something like that…to allow more damage rather than allow harm to befall individuals.

The Cetra looked down afterward and around, scanning the espers surrounding them. The sound of the "semi" that Krystea had named was getting rather loud now. Leviathan could tell that it was near. Sure enough, his gaze soon caught a view of a large, lumbering, metal box of some sort pulling a much larger metal rectangle behind it pulling its way down one of the ruined streets, up a hill and straight toward them.

"Thank you…all of you." Aerith continued at last. "A lot of bad things happened…a lot of things that can't be undone…but you've saved thousands of lives and stopped so much evil. And you kept Marlene, Azure, and Denzel safe. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them…and they wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for you."

The espers were silent at that. However, Leviathan felt something…unconventional about the way that Aerith said those things. It was neither too grandiose or too mild. It was…just the right level in tone and voice. It seemed as if she spoke to them as if they were equals and there was no difference in power or age or prestige among them. Ironic, as it was, seeing as Aerith herself was by far the most powerful being on Gaia at this point in time. When fully recovered, even Alexander would be nothing to her. Yet in the way she spoke to them and thanked them…there was a comforting manner about it in the way she talked. No one since Rydia had spoken in such a calm, "equivalent" way concerning human and esper…

A large hiss went out from the approaching machines, redirecting attention back to them again. The large "semi" had come to a halt, and appeared to turn off whatever engine was moving it. It had stopped briefly in order to turn a bit, making it spread out long ways, but after that it halted. Only now, with its own sound died out, did the espers notice that a second machine was puttering behind it. This one was an odd, almost layered cake shaped green thing, and one that looked rather old and battered at that. Nevertheless, it chugged along behind the semi and soon came to a stop behind. Unlike the bigger one, this one kept making noise.

Aerith, at this point, turned to Krystea again. "Could you help me up?" She asked.

Krystea turned her head back to her on hearing this. "Are you sure you can stand?"

"I'm going to try."

Krystea hesitated a moment, but then got up from her position and moved over to Aerith. Once there, she put her arms around her middle and adjusted her own body into a squatting position. She waited for Aerith to slowly and weakly pull her own body up and into a similar position, and then both strained and grunted as they attempted to stand. Leviathan thought it was still too early, but he didn't move to protest this at all. And although her knees wobbled quite a bit and she seemed extremely unsteady, not to mention a shade pale on rising, Aerith managed to get up with Krystea's help. Krystea herself was struggling quite a bit to actually stand and move, and by the time they did manage to rise both of them looked like they were about to swoon. But they held on and got their bearings.

As for the machines, it only took moments for the doors to open. Leviathan watched as the passengers got out. He immediately recognized the two ones dressed in similar clothing to Krystea from earlier. He also registered a rather tall, dark, red-caped man with them. He had noticed him earlier as well despite the heat of battle. The man had a very unusual aura about him…one that actually resonated with Leviathan a bit, if such a thing was possible. It wasn't until now that he actually managed to see the man face to face, but on doing so he realized it had to be him. These ones came out of the large vehicle. Out of the smaller one, however, came three additional figures. One man with blond, spiked hair possessing an unnaturally supercharged aura…a brown haired woman following after him…and, finally, a rather large and powerful looking human practically squeezing himself out of his own armored vehicle to join up with the other two. They were oddly dressed…and not in ways that Leviathan found appropriate…

However, these three were probably thinking much worse things at that moment. They froze after exiting, and looked over the gathering before them. A group of humans, mostly unconscious, surrounded by large and powerful creatures of myth. Each one towered over them and was a sight to behold in and of themselves, especially now since Alexander's own huge body began to groan and grind as his head looked around and toward the new arrivals. There was silence among both sides for quite some time. They just stared blankly at each other, and the espers allowed the humans to take them in.

It was the blond who finally spoke up quietly.

"…I'm sure Ragnar would love to be here right now…"

The silence was broken again a moment later as the back of the large semi suddenly made a clicking sound, like a door unlatching. That turned out to be the case, as soon a large section of it swung aside. Moments later, and a smaller, lither figure dressed far more loosely with short black hair and a long bandanna hopped out. Without even really looking forward, she turned around and began to run up toward where the others had dismounted. However, she looked up as she did so…and in short order quickly slowed down to a halt again. Her face turned from a momentary eagerness to surprise, and she stared blankly out at the espers gathered in front of her. Her head darted around for a moment as she scanned them all momentarily, seeming to realize just how many were gathered together now…

"Um…now, all of you guys are the 'good ones', right?" She finally asked after finishing her assessment.

"Everyone…" Aerith finally announced, sounding more official. She was still being supported by Krystea, but the woman gestured to her side and to those around her. "This is Leviathan…Quetzacoatl…Ifrit…Shiva…Carbuncle…the minotaur brothers…and Alexander. They saved the city."

"Actually…" Leviathan spoke up…the mere act of doing so causing people to snap to him in surprise. He had a feeling it would be some time before humans would get used to large creatures like him talking. "It was all Sorceress Aerith's doing. We just…lent a hand until she showed."

The Cetra turned to him at that, and seemed a bit unsettled and red in the face. "Um…just call me Aerith, please."

"Aerith!" The brown haired woman finally announced, seeming to snap out of her daze at long last one hearing that name. Not only her, but the blond haired one and the large man did so as well. Soon, they broke away from their own vehicle and began to come across the field toward her. In response, Aerith began to slowly limp toward them, Krystea helping her out when she saw her start to move. While this happened, Rex, still feeling a bit on the outskirts, suddenly stood up and raised his own hand.

"Um…I'm Rex, by the way. I work for Mr. Vice, and I helped make the Magical…"

As soon as the brown haired one reached Aerith, she immediately embraced her tightly. Krystea backed off a bit at that, allowing her to do so. The blond haired one quickly rushed in as well, casting a glance up for a moment to Leviathan as he came. The big one was the most hesitant, slowing down as he approached, and then looking around to each one cautiously as he came closer. As for Krystea herself, she looked up and over to the others gathered at the truck. In particular, she looked to the tall dark man, and gave him a crooked smile while he stood there stoicly and calmly.

"What? No hug from big brother?"

"You're still on payroll, last I checked our contract, little lady." The red-haired man spoke for him, stepping forward and calling out to her. "So hurry up and get over here. We still need to track down Rude."

Hearing that seemed to strike a note in Krystea. Her own teasing smile suddenly faded, and her look turned to anxiety instead. A hand went up and brushed back her hair. "Rude…oh no…I forgot all about him…"

The brown haired one and Aerith parted at last, but she continued to support the Cetra as she did so. Aerith herself smiled at her…but it was weak and small, with an air of having been forced. It didn't take long for her to pick up on that, or for the others around her.

"Are you alright?" The other woman finally asked, her face turning concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine…I'm just tired." Aerith finally answered…although her tone of voice was not in it.

She seemed to get the attention of the others by saying this. The blond-haired man was rather stoic himself, but his own eyes seemed to turn to concern as well on hearing this. He stepped in closer toward her. "…You don't sound fine."

The woman didn't answer that. Her eyes looked to the ground and her mouth hung slackly for a moment. She was silent. This only increased the anxiety of her friends. Now the large one began to finally ignore the espers and come in closer, as did the blond. The brown haired woman shifted her grasp up to the shoulders in a more supportive gesture as well as bracing.

"Aerith…what is it?" The woman finally asked.

The Cetra swallowed in response. Her head turned to the side. She was silent again for a moment. But in the end, she shook her head and turned back to the children piled up on the ground.

"Let's just…get them inside the truck… Get them to bed… I need to recover myself." She finally said slowly. "I need to get my power back…so I can finish the job…undo what I can undo that Diablos did…" She swallowed again. "I'm…I'm just happy these ones survived…"

"…Your power isn't recovered yet?"

This sudden phrase came from the tall, dark man, the first thing he had said since arrival. And it was so sudden and loud that it caught the attention of all present, having them turn back to him. He simply stood there in response, arms crossed and stoic as before. His red eyes showed no other change in emotion. Aerith stared back blankly for a moment, but he wasn't the one who broke the silence next. Instead, the one person who hadn't changed or looked back to him, the short-haired young woman, suddenly spoke up with a troubled, even irritated, look on her own face.

"…Then I guess they'll have to stay tied up a bit longer until she can fix them."

The group gathered around Aerith, herself included, stared back blankly.

"What are you talking about?" The blond asked.

The young woman answered by simply turning to the side, back toward the truck, and beckoning with one of her hands. "Bring her up and you'll see."

The woman supporting Aerith looked rather confused at that, as did the Cetra herself. They exchanged confused glances for a moment. However, in the end, they did as they were told. Turning back to the truck, the woman began to help the Cetra limp forward toward the car. Leviathan himself hesitated momentarily from his own position, watching as they began to move away from him toward the vehicles, the blond and the big man following. After a moment though…he thought to himself for a brief second before suddenly uncoiling part of his top half and beginning to slide after them.

Naturally, the big man and the blond stopped and turned to him at that, and the woman helping Aerith hesitated and turned as well. The sea serpent froze as he suddenly saw himself confronted with stares…two of them rather untrusting and uneasy.

In response, he gave a sheepish smile.

"…I can be a bit nosy, I suppose."

Aerith stared at him a second, but then shook her head and looked to the others. "He's fine, everyone. Let him come."

The blond and the big man paused again, not seeming to fully agree with that statement. The woman helping Aerith paused herself a bit longer, but then finally turned and began to help the Cetra again. At last, the two men turned somewhat hesitantly and reluctantly kept walking as well. Leviathan himself soon began to slide along too.

As they did, the young woman moved to the back of the semi, toward the open door that she had left. It had swung back shut, but it hadn't fully clicked in place. Now, she moved over to grab it as well as unhinge the other door. The others soon began to gather around. Leviathan kept his distance, but looked on over them toward the back of the semi. While he did so, the young woman moved to nearly open the door, but then stopped on seeing him. Like the others, she too seemed uneasy to see him coming up to her or anywhere near her. However, that unease abruptly turned to puzzlement as she stared on at him.

"…Not 'Leviathan' as in the great god of Wutai Leviathan?" She finally asked.

The sea serpent rolled his eyes and let a hissing sigh escape his beak. "…In all likelihood, yes."

The young woman's eyebrows raised on hearing that, and she stared at him a moment longer. "…I think the people in my country have a lot of prayers they want you to hear…" She finally stated.

Leviathan, in response, merely grumbled and looked away momentarily. The young woman herself finally shook her head, seeming to snap out of it, and then turned back to the truck. Without any further delays, she grabbed both doors at once and gave one mighty shove. Either metal flap went open wide, and the afternoon sunlight pierced the interior of the truck all the way to the back.

The four gathered in front of it immediately gasped in surprise. Most of it was probably shock. There was even perhaps a bit of horror in the voice of the woman and the blond as they looked inside. However…Aerith herself stared at it blankly for a moment. Unlike the espers, what she saw now refused to be real to her. Her mind refused to accept it. Yet as she stared on, and she slowly realized she was neither dreaming nor fantasizing…that what she was seeing was real and there…a new change came over her.

She began to cry.

"…You asked me what I was doing back in enemy territory." The dark man finally stated. It was enough for Leviathan to look over to him, but he saw he wasn't addressing him. He was addressing the red-haired man in the dark suit. This one himself appeared to have some sort of white, smoldering stick in his mouth at this point and a curious expression. Seeing the looks on everyone else's faces, he stepped forward toward the back of the truck himself and looked around inside to see what it was as well. His face wasn't shocked, however. He was casual as he stared within.

"Luckily, Diablos didn't care for them and neither did anyone else. No one missed them when they were gone. It still took hours to get them all…setting a diversion…ferreting a few away at a time…all of them biting and screaming for the guards the whole time. That's why I had no choice but to do that to them. Even now, they're still kicking and screaming. They did when I picked them up from where I hid them in Junon. They're only limp now because they wore themselves out."

When he heard this, Leviathan finally began to understand himself, and knew what he was looking at. On doing so, he saw Aerith begin to cup her hands to her mouth and face. Suddenly, she collapsed to her knees. The woman tried to stop her, but it was too late. She fell to the ground and began to weep loudly.

Leviathan realized, in a strange paradox, that he was thankful that Diablos was a liar.

Perhaps the dark being thought he _had_ eaten one of the children. No doubt, he had fed on some human flesh. But his brainwashed servants would not be wise enough, or insightful enough, to tell them they had prepared a different human besides one of Aerith's charges. He was right about the tall man having some sort of power about him. Only through doing so would he have been able to have gotten them all out, sneaking them through enemy lines. But like he said…they were likely in a slaughterhouse. Those wouldn't be high security.

The semi had large hooks hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps it had been designed to transport meat, but that's not what it held now. Instead…bound and gagged, inside some sort of jacket restraints with thin chains wrapped around their legs, their eyes still burning red and ravenous from Siren's spell, were a collection of children. They fought furiously now that they were in the daylight, foaming around their gags and wriggling to break free. But none of them could move. They were all helpless 'prisoners'. They weren't struggling terribly hard, as the man had suggested, but it was still a gruesome sight. No wonder these new arrivals, who appeared to know nothing of Diablos or his activities, had been so put off by the ghastly collection.

However, Aerith knew better. And as she collapsed fully to the ground and kept crying, Leviathan knew better as well as he kept listening. This wasn't the sounds of mortification or agony.

It was sobs of joy.

Krystea went on to surprise Leviathan again a moment later as, contrary to the tall man's own possible wishes, she broke from behind the others, hobbled/ran over to him, and before he could do anything else about it put her arms around his neck and hugged him. He reacted in some surprise to this abrupt action, but not too much. Mostly, he just stood there and let her do it. After hugging him for a moment, she spoke again.

"Vincent…anyone ever tell you you're the greatest?"

* * *

Soon after, the groups were loaded up and prepared to move out. However, they stayed a bit longer for one more purpose. Alexander was the most drained out of all the espers, but he voiced his decision to wait until his power had recovered enough to be the one to break the control of Siren over the children. There was a very good reason for that…Alexander was able to somehow erase the memory of control as well when he did it. It took another hour before he was able to fire off a beam, and after he did the children were considerably frightened at their situation before they were cut down and released. But compared to remembering whatever kinds of evil Diablos might have made them do…it was a fair trade.

They returned to the main populated portions of the city, but the espers managed to hide in the shadows when they did so. That was only really a problem for Alexander, who in the end elected to stay behind until he had recovered further. At this point, Leviathan was still wondering what the relationship would be between them from now on, but it seemed as if Alexander was being subservient to his "creator". He wasn't sure if this was a natural tendency from the construct, or if something in him had changed when he was reproduced in this new form. At any rate, the others were able to hide themselves far better, ducking into remains of alleys or ruined buildings and sneaking about. From there, it was easy enough to scan what the humans were doing either through sight or telepathy, or simply contact some of their new human friends.

Refugee stations were beginning to be set up. Some were in emergency shelters on the ground. Others were in hotels or large buildings that had survived the destruction in this part of the city. They were soon starting to fill up with injured as well as former slaves of Diablos. Luckily, those people weren't that hurt, and once they recovered they'd hopefully be moving out to make more room for others. The sun continued to go down, and as it did more "loud, smelly" vehicles began to appear throughout the city. It turned out these were large machines called "earthmovers" that had been dug out from the rubble and were now being used to clear even more rubble from the city. However, the group didn't stay here that long. They got into some sort of huge device called a "multi-tier industrial elevator" and road up the cliff alongside the city to the higher tiers. The espers had a bit of trouble staying hidden and following them, but other than turning a few heads it wasn't that bad.

The highest levels of the city had a few smoldering rooftops, but other than that had been spared much of the destruction. This was where most organization was taking place on the part of the local government authorities before they were moved down into the lower levels to try and sort out some of the mess. Aerith and her group themselves moved out to a place called the "airfields", where the modern airships had been landing and deployed their own crews. Once they were there, a perimeter was made around the entire field blocking out most public access. That done, at last the espers were allowed to come forward. Leviathan saw many humans freeze and some shrink back. One or two went for a personal gun they had, but luckily the main guns they had on their ships had been disarmed at that point, and no one fired. In short order, those gathered below introduced them and how they had helped save the city. Once that was done, at long last the full story was related again for the benefit of both the new members of their group (who turned out to be named Cloud, Tifa, and Barret) as well as the crews gathered around. By the end of it, most people were avoiding the espers as they pressed themselves against the cliff, making sure they weren't seen by anyone below, but they were tolerated.

The children were put to rest in the airfield hanger, although only the ones from Diablos' "coven" were totally passed out. The others had tired themselves out while struggling, however, and so they soon went down as well. It didn't take long for others like Aerith, Krystea, and the short-haired young woman (named Yuffie) to join them, the former of the two still being drained…the latter one just appearing to nap. Around this point, another suited person, a one named "Rude" appeared and joined with the others. However, he seemed tense and hesitant, and in short order Leviathan guessed why. He remembered that he was one of those gathered around Krystea earlier. Siren must have broken her control over him without erasing his memory, so he remembered how he had been acting and the inner dark thoughts he had possessed. It served as a grim reminder to Leviathan that Siren would have to be a priority as soon as they were recovered…

The sun set not long after, and darkness came closing in quickly afterward. Yet even this night seemed to be more "wholesome" and "pleasant" compared to what Diablos had brought in earlier. Nevertheless, the espers bid their time and continued to recover. Unfortunately, the world they had come back into seemed a bit…stagnant…even "deader" in a sense, and they seemed to lack the power to regenerate from its elements as easily. However, they had all recovered at least a measure of their magical powers and bound up their wounds by the time one particular airship came into Junon. It alone had broken off from the main fleet earlier once the crews had been freed from their control of Diablos…and it had gone to pick up a certain very important group and bring them in directly.

Aerith herself got up and went out with the rest of the espers when they finally came in for a landing…

* * *

The engines were still slowing down into idle mode and the airship itself had just dropped into hover range when the side doors on the lower tier hissed and began to open wide. Light spilled out from the interior over the dark tarmac of the airfield. The lights were being kept to a minimum at the moment, especially since there was an assortment of odd guests waiting for an arrival. Most lighting was only coming from the floods on the airships themselves. However, there was still more than enough for the group gathered to see.

Standing about a hundred feet away from the landed aircraft was the current group assembly. Aerith, Rex, Tifa, Cloud, and Barret were all closest in one mass. Behind them stood the espers, all of them save for Alexander and all of them mobile and on their feet again. People were keeping their distance from the creatures now that they were out on the field again, but they didn't seem to care. They wanted to meet up again with these incoming people as much as those in front of them did. Most of the humans had changed clothes at this point. Like Reno, none of them had thought that people would mind if they "borrowed" a few things from some wrecked stores, and Aerith had been wearing that now-ruined white dress for days. Now she held back her hair as it whipped up in the wind of the dying engines and stared out for the airship entrance.

The side door completely opened, revealing a series of dark shadows standing at the ready. They waited only until it had opened enough for them to step out before they started to file out from the opening and toward the waiting group. The light behind them turned them into silhouettes at first, but as they quickly began to approach the others their features became clear. At any rate, the group didn't wait. They walked out to meet them as well. The espers themselves held back, but soon they made out the figures at they arrived.

Denzel and Azure, in the lead, went right for their parents. Tifa immediately put her arms around both of them at once. Marlene wasn't far behind, and she ran up to her own gigantic-by-comparison father and got lifted off the ground by him as they hugged. Shelke came at a somewhat measured pace behind them, naturally not having anyone to embrace as she approached. However…there was something new about her. The smallest hint of a smile was on her face as she walked forward. Finally…one additional member limped forward from the airship, but then broke into the best run he could manage as he saw who he was looking for. Aerith, naturally, ran after him soon after.

Ragnar, still a bit pale but alert again, and his wife soon went into each other's arms and hugged fiercely. They soon kissed and stayed locked, both of them showing both their affection as well as their joy at seeing each other alive and well. For a moment, they just held, as everyone else continued to have their own reunions. The espers themselves waited patiently in the back and let it happen. Leviathan and Carbuncle themselves smiled a bit at the entire exchange.

It wasn't long before more shadows started to come out, as the airship fully went into idle mode. This time it was Shera and Mack, both of them looking a bit haggard themselves, but smiling on seeing the others as they came out and walking up to them. Rex himself moved over to Ragnar, but kept his distance as he and his wife held. Shelke held back as well, while Tifa began to drill both of her sons about what had gone on and about their physical condition. Only after this happened did Aerith and Ragnar finally break off from each other. They continued to hold one another but parted enough to speak.

"Are you alright?" They both asked at once. Afterward, both went quiet for a bit to let out a nervous chuckle at how that had happened, and then attempted to speak again. At first, they both stepped on each other's words, but after a few false starts, Aerith finally managed to speak out first.

"Are you sure you're alright? You and the children looked so pale…" She cut herself off there. "The children… How are they?"

"They're fine." Ragnar answered. "They're sleeping on the airship, but they woke up earlier…wondered where you were." His voice then turned darker. "But are you alright? When they told me you went off to fight that thing by yourself…"

Aerith cut him off with a nod. "I'm tired…but I'll be fine."

Ragnar continued to look at her with a concerned expression. "Are you sure? You actually went against that demon… I read about him back at the City…"

The woman nodded again. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

The man stared back a moment silently, his own look turning from concerned to grim. He frowned a bit as his own gaze dropped slightly. "…A fine husband I turned out to be." He finally stated. "I wasn't there to help you with Pandemona and I wasn't here to help you now…"

Aerith rolled her eyes on hearing this and sighed. "Oh, hush." She answered, patting his cheek. "This isn't the medieval age." After that, she gave him a teasing smile. "And I _can_ look after myself. I am the legendary Sorceress, after all."

"I'm never going to be able to talk you out of waiting to get a real model sword now, I guess." Cloud spoke up from over at his position, although he was addressing Denzel at the moment from where he was.

The boy looked over to his father as he parted from Tifa, and gave him a grin. "You bet you won't."

Tifa herself looked to Denzel critically a moment in response to hearing this. However, after only a second, she sighed and shook her head. "You really can be just as stubborn as him." After that, she shifted her gaze to both him and Azure, and pointed a finger out. "But don't think because you did so well taking care of yourselves for a few days that I'm about to ease up on your curfew at home. And since you two were able to do so much, you can help out around the house a bit more too."

Both young men rolled their eyes on hearing this, letting out respective sighs.

"Oh, don't give me that." Tifa answered a bit sternly. "And you better not be thinking about dropping out of school and becoming mercenaries either. You're not ending up like your father."

"Oh, dad didn't end up that bad." Denzel retorted. "You married him, didn't you?"

In response, Denzel soon winced as Cloud proceeded to give him a slap across the back of the head. "I guess I can go a bit harder on your in practice now too." He reminded him with a bit of an edge. "And you better hope that your few days on your own didn't make you any fresher. I can still turn you over my knee and beat your butt if I want to. And I'll do it in front of Marlene."

Denzel paled a bit on hearing that, and shrank back a bit more. "I was just kidding…" He meekly apologized.

"If it's just the same…" Azure suddenly spoke up, garnering the attention of the rest of the family. His face was a bit tired looking, but his voice was rather serious. "…I think I've had enough fighting…and killing…for a while now. I'll be happy just to get back to regular practice."

Tifa stared back at him a bit anxiously on hearing that. Cloud and Denzel lost their joking mannerisms and went still as well, staring back at him too. That was another unfortunate thing that had occurred. This time, for real, they had been in combat and had been forced to kill. Like it or not, that wasn't a very cheerful or merry thing to be happy about. And it did send a chill among the family for a moment.

Yet in the end, Cloud was the one who broke it. Stepping forward himself, he put a hand out on both Azure's shoulder and Denzel's. This caused both of the boys to look up to him, and he in turn stared plainly back and gave them both a squeeze.

"…You both looked after yourselves, Marlene, Crain, Aerith's twins, and that boy from the orphanage. Even Vincent, from what I heard. I'm very proud of you both."

The two young men paused only for a moment, but then smiled back at Cloud. His words were very sincere, and in spite of how either of them felt…it mattered a lot to them to hear Cloud praising them. It gave a sense of validation and relief…not to mention pride. They placed their own hands on top of Cloud's after a while, returning his gesture. Tifa herself stared at the three of them for a moment, but in the end smiled as well.

At this point, Rex finally managed to step forward toward Aerith and Ragnar. They were still holding each other at first. However, on seeing him coming, the two looked to each other one more time before mutually silently agreeing to break off. Both of them stepped away and turned to face Rex completely. On doing so, Ragnar gave a smile and held out his hand to him. Rex pushed up on his own glasses and gave a bit of a nervous grin back, but then reached out and took it.

"From what I heard, you really came through for everyone, Rex." The male Cetra spoke as he gave a hard shake…one that actually made Rex blanch a bit from the strength.

The student held for a moment, still grinning sheepishly, before Ragnar released. When he did, he weakly shook his own hand out, seeming to break the feeling from how firm the handshake had been, but then shrugged. "Well…I just pretty much did what Leviathan told me to do. I was just glad to help."

Aerith smiled at him as well for a moment before she too showed her appreciation…in a more unconventional way. Rex's face suddenly turned to surprise as the woman stepped forward, gave him a hug around the neck, and actually gave him a peck on the cheek. Ragnar himself blushed a bit, bowed his head, and scratched the side of his nose, while Rex nearly turned to water in Aerith's grasp. He nearly collapsed when she released him and stepped back. Even so, he wobbled on his legs a second before he let out a gasp, as if he had remembered to breathe suddenly, and then pushed up on his glasses again toward the bridge of his nose. He let out a light chuckle at that, again nervous and a bit light.

Aerith turned back to Ragnar at that for a moment, giving him a smile which he himself nervously returned. Yet after that, the Cetra turned her gaze slightly toward someone standing toward the back of the incoming group. Standing there simply, as if awaiting all of this to be over and done with, was Shelke. She still had that slight smile, but other than that stood still. Aerith herself had only heard about her and met her briefly in that cave. However, she did know something of her story now. And since she did, she stared only a moment at her before she turned again to another nearby.

"Tifa?"

The brown-haired woman turned from her own family and over to the Cetra.

Aerith gestured to Shelke. "…Do you think we have room for one more at the orphanage? I mean…physically, she's only ten."

Shelke heard this and snapped to Aerith. Her own look seemed somewhat surprised. The Cetra herself turned to her and simply smiled. Shelke stared back for a bit longer and opened her mouth to speak. However…no sound came out. She only stared on. Yet during that time, Aerith noticed someone else reacting. Azure's own expression turned to some surprise as he turned and looked between Aerith and Shelke for a moment. Aerith took note of this, and the thought made her chuckle a bit inwardly…but she said nothing.

Ragnar himself stared at this interaction and smiled at it. Yet he didn't wait to see how it would resolve itself. Instead, his own look turned serious soon afterward, and he turned his head and looked back toward the others gathered on the tarmac…

Leviathan stared back at him plainly, showing no emotion. The other creatures soon did the same. Ragnar stared only a moment longer, but then began to walk toward them, separating from Aerith and the others. When he did, Aerith turned and noticed him leaving, and then turned again and saw what he was doing. Soon, she too went silent and serious and watched. The others noticed this, and soon saw Ragnar walking to the espers as well. When that happened, they went silent too. Soon, the entire reunion seemed to have gone dead, and only the slow rhythmic sound of the airship engines humming went out. That…and the sound of Ragnar's footsteps slowly clicking on the pavement as he walked closer and closer toward the espers.

At last, the Cetra came to a stop right in front of Leviathan, no more than five feet away. Although his face definitely had a sense of awe about it, he, like his wife, seemed to regard them as creatures that were real and "normal" rather than intense mythological monsters to be feared and shunned. He was small compared to how the sea serpent towered over him, but he stood there none the less without backing down and looked up to him. The others looked back quietly, and for a few moments more there was nothing.

Finally, Ragnar did react by doing something a bit surprising. He gave a graceful bow.

"Lord Leviathan, I presume?"

The sea serpent watched this and let out a small snicker in response.

"I haven't been 'Lord Leviathan' for over a thousand years."

"Forget that." Carbuncle finally piped up. "He wants to bow down to us, he can."

Shiva and Quetzacoatl gave a look to the small creature.

The green quadruped sighed and put his paws up defensively in response. "I was just kidding. Man, you guys could never take a joke…"

Ragnar leaned back up a moment later, and stared on at them all. He inhaled and exhaled a few times as he just looked the group over.

"I'm sorry…it's just… You're all here." He finally remarked. "I've read about you all for years and everything you did…and you're actually standing in front of me. I mean…I talked to Bahamut before he gave up his life, and I thought I'd never see another esper again. But here you all are…"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well." Leviathan answered. "From what I've heard, you were very close to my brother. Bahamut never had many personal pupils…but he was always very fond of those he did. And I hear he actually carried out a full junction with you as well. He must have cared about you very much."

Ragnar turned a bit red in response to this, and bowed his head slightly. He was quiet for a few moments before he was able to look up again. Leviathan understood. Apparently, the feeling had been mutual on both sides.

"There's so much I want to ask you." Ragnar finally spoke up again. "And…I'm sure you need to ask us a lot too. There's a lot in this world you probably don't understand. Things have changed a lot in just a few hundred years…"

"There is, but that can wait." Leviathan cut off, in a manner so abrupt that both Ragnar and the other humans watching were a bit surprised at how quickly it came. At any rate, Leviathan remained normal as he kept talking. "For right now, before anything else happens, there's one thing that I have to know first."

Ragnar hesitated a moment, but then gave a shrug. "Sure. What is it?"

"Siren discovered this on her own, but I'm not so certain as to how it works." Leviathan answered. "Is there any way that we can get a message to a large number of humans…right now?"

Both Ragnar and the others raised their eyebrows on hearing this.

* * *

"Is _this _a good spot?" The reporter asked, somewhat irritated at having to move to a different angle a third time.

The cameraman opposite her looked through his lens again and scanned the shot in front of him. This was one of the illuminated portions of ruined Junon, but there was still enough darkness here to get a good view of the entire lowest tier of the city behind the reporter as well as the ocean beyond. He wanted to make sure this was a great shot…one that got a real good scope of the destruction and size of what happened. After all, while the reporter might just have wanted to do the story and get out of there, he was intent on winning some awards. He adjusted his position a bit more, ignoring the fact that the woman was frowning at him through his view lens, and finally gave a nod and a thumbs up.

"Yeah, this'll do great."

The woman sighed in response. "Finally… How long until we're on?"

The cameraman took a moment to consult his headset, wired back to the main studio where the nightly news broadcast was taking place. At this point, it had to have come on only a few minutes ago. They were going to be cutting to them soon. Not long after, the producer spoke back.

_"You're live in twenty seconds."_

"Twenty seconds."

The reporter nodded. Quickly, she smoothed herself out and stood upright, trying to make herself look as proper and "businesslike" as she could for her role of on-the-spot newscaster. She swallowed a few times and cracked her neck as she brought her portable microphone in front of her.

However, she soon frowned again as she saw the camera in front of her lower.

"But you know…maybe over there would have less background light…"

"Forget it! We're live in ten seconds! This will do!"

The cameraman sighed in response, but then resigned himself to it. A few moments later, and he began to count off. "You're on in five…four…three…" He mouthed the last two numbers, and then gestured to the reporter.

Immediately, a "reporting" face went on, and the woman began to speak.

"I'm standing in the wreckage of what used to be lower Junon, John. From what I can see, an area of at least sixteen city blocks is in ruins with fires still broken out over much of the city. All in all, officials in Junon are estimating that 30 percent of the city has been catastrophically damaged or destroyed. This is the view that we flew in to find in this city on arrival after Junon had practically disappeared off of the world's map for the past two days, believing it to be the latest victim in the chain of 'blackout' disasters plaguing the northern portion of the Eastern Continent. At the moment, we still have no idea what is going on, and officials have declined further comment. However, it appears that some sort of terrorist group as well as what can only be described as 'mass mania' caused most of the destruction. Yet there are also reports coming in from civilians and refugees commenting that they witnessed 'huge, oversized mutations' rampaging through much of the city. We have not received any footage or documented evidence of these…"

Here, the reporter trailed off. Ahead of her, the camera was slowly lowering away from the recorder's head.

"…Jerry?"

_"Oh god…"_ The producer's voice went off against the cameraman's head as the feed came in.

The cameraman didn't answer. However, as the device was fully pulled away from his head, the reporter saw something else. His eyes were now wide as saucers, and he was staring blankly out over her head and for the main city.

The reporter frowned and rolled her eyes. She was about to call out to him again, as patiently as possible since they were still on the air…when she felt the ground shudder behind her. It was just once, but it was very distinct. She froze. A moment later…and the ground shook again, a bit harder this time, but for the same duration. Then again…this time widening a bit of a fracture on the pavement beneath them and shaking a few bits of debris. The woman stayed frozen as her own face slowly paled…realizing whatever was making that sound was a lot like footsteps…

The reporter slowly turned behind her. As she did, the cameraman, snapping out of it enough to look again, raised the camera and quickly got a shot of what came. The reporter herself soon collapsed onto her rear end as her mouth slackened, but she was unable to cry in fear.

Blocking almost the entire rear shot and quickly approaching was what appeared to be some sort of gigantic, living, metal castle. It cast a shadow from moonlight over the smaller humans watching from the next highest tier, easily tall enough to stand on the lowest level and reach up to them. The ground shook as it moved forward on massive, tower-like limbs, and as it got closer yet one could hear the grinding of massive gears and unseen pistons manipulating it. From what almost looked like "eye sockets", white lights shone out and seemed to scan below it.

Despite being terrified by this appearance, the reporter slowly managed to scoot back, keeping her rear end on the ground as she did so. However, the view in the camera didn't see this. After panning up to get a shot of the giant walking forward, the view spun around for the opposite direction, and another moment later probably would have turned to a shot of the man's feet as he ran for it.

Instead, the camera got a view of a very large, very long, aqua blue serpent glaring down at him through glowing eyes.

"Oh my god…"

The shot soon followed up with even more amazements as some sort of glowing electrical bird swept down low over the area. Soon after, shots of a beast that seemed to almost be casting off fire and a woman glowing an icy blue color began to run in from the sides. The shot shook abruptly as the giant from behind got closer, and in a rapid gyration the camera spun away and back to the reporter. It caught a view of her staggering to her feet again as the tower limbs of the approaching giant filled the entire camera. Yet she was already gasping out at her sides…for more had come there as well. Two similar creatures, both looking like old minotaurs, were coming in from either side, both of them very ugly and fierce looking. The smaller of the two held some sort of pale green creature on his shoulder as he walked in.

"This…this is unreal…this can't be happening…"

The camera panned around quickly as the holder spun around the area. As he did, the faces of the assorted creatures were all caught on film, each one of them as they closed in and began to surround the two of them. There was a sense of unreality…yet at the same time incoming doom. The cameraman actually pulled his head away for a moment to make sure this wasn't somehow some trick of the lens or illusion. However…doing so only exposed him to seeing the things even closer, and now making out all the details of their bodies…their cuts and scrapes…their breathing…their sweating… And all of them were closing in, most of them towering over him and the reporter. As they got closer yet, it seemed as if they were dead. That these things had come out of nowhere to kill them both. At once, what the reporter had said rang in his ears…that giant mutants were blamed for the whole thing…

"Don't be afraid."

The view suddenly froze. There was a pause for a moment, before the shot suddenly snapped over to the reporter. She was still cringing on the ground, looking up and around her. However, the creatures only got a bit closer before stopping. After that, they simply stood there and looked at the two. That same phrase still rang out though, seeming to hang on the air as the two people shuddered and cowered before the creatures.

"Did you…just say something?" The cameraman asked.

The reporter, despite her own fear, managed to turn to the cameraman. Immediately, she shook her head "no".

"…Um…is that you at the network?" The cameraman asked next, this time addressing the headset across his head wired back to the main station.

"I did."

The reporter turned her head and looked to one of the creatures. The cameraman hesitated, but then turned the shot up so that it was aimed at the sea serpent. He found the large creature looking straight at him, his own body towering over his…but seeming to have almost a calm quality about himself, if that was possible for a giant sea monster. As he did, a voice went off in his ear…this one more recognized.

_"Jerry…did that thing just…speak to you?"_

"We aren't going to hurt you." The voice came again…this time unmistakably from the sea serpent. Its lips parted, its jaw opened, and the voice definitely came from its throat. "We just want to say our piece and then we'll leave you be."

The cameraman stared blankly back through his lens. Both news people were quiet for a moment. However, the creatures didn't do anything else. They just stood there and looked down at them, not moving and seeming to be waiting for them to make the next move. The camera panned around and looked at the various faces, but they stared calmly back. The reporter herself finally began to rise slightly, meekly drawing up her body a bit more. She turned her head to look at them all again, still afraid of all of them, before finally looking back to the sea serpent.

"Who…what…I…what are you?"

"My name is Leviathan. We know what caused the destruction of this city and we want to tell you before you start blaming us." The sea serpent answered.

_"It's talking…it's really talking to you guys…"_ The voice came from the cameraman's ear.

_"Look, just get out of there…get away from those things."_ Another voice joined it.

_"Are we still live?"_

_"Damn right, we are."_

_"Holy crap…imagine how our ratings are going to look…"_

The cameraman hesitated a bit more. He panned back down to the reporter. She looked nervously back. They both looked up to the one called "Leviathan" again. For a moment, the cameraman thought of breaking off and running. They seemed docile enough and he was definitely scared. However, he knew it wouldn't really help. If they wanted to keep him there, then they'd catch him before he got more than thirty feet. They were large and agile enough to grab him easily. Yet more so than that…there was something else. The thrill of it. He was actually talking to some sort of giant sea monster. He wasn't sure where it had come from or what it was, but even to be here was something unheard of. How often would one possibly get a chance like this?

Luckily, the reporter seemed to agree. Very meekly and with a trembling grip, she raised the microphone toward her mouth.

"Um…alright… So…uh…you things…guys…creatures…people…are-are…you the source of the rumors that-that mutants did all this?"

"The creatures responsible for this were others of our kind." Leviathan answered. "They too were what your people would describe as 'monsters' or, as you're saying, 'mutants'. That was why I needed to speak with you. Although some of us did participate in this, their leader has been stopped and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that neither I nor my brethren, which you see gathered around you," He inclined his beak-like head to accent this…and the cameraman found himself actually turning the lens around a moment to capture them all on camera again. "Are involved in his plans or intentions for this world. We either came here to try and help put a stop to him and this destruction or we have since disbanded from his group. I do not say this for glory purposes. I say it so that those of us who are innocent will not be punished with the guilty."

Slowly…the cameraman began to rise again. The creature spoke evenly and plainly, and his voice was firm yet genial. It slowly made him more at ease. Apparently, he wasn't alone. The reporter straightened a bit and began to put her legs underneath her as her hands stopped shaking.

"So-so-so…let me get this straight. You said…other monsters were the ones responsible for the destruction of Junon?"

"Some of our kind, yes." Leviathan answered. "However, those you see here fought against them. If you interview those who helped combat the attackers and assure to them that they were not seeing things, as you can testify yourself by what you're seeing now, you will realize that we were here to help."

"Um…" The woman answered, beginning to stand further. "How many…of these monsters are there? Were they killed?"

"Their leader was stopped." Leviathan answered. "The rest of them were injured and/or escaped. They number six in entirety."

"And…are these monsters planning to make another attack? And how did they cause the radio silence throughout the northern portion of the Eastern Continent? Did they kill the residents of Edge and Kalm?"

"The residents of Edge and Kalm were placed under a form of mental, energy control that, I'm afraid, your people could only define as 'magic'." Leviathan answered. "Whether or not you believe in it is moot, for that is what happened. They have been freed since then and their memory of the incident erased. As for the others, I doubt they will make another attack. By now, they're scattered and hurt. I and my own brethren will find them and deal with them in time."

The reporter was back up now, and was almost back to a normal standing, becoming calmer once again. "Does this mean you plan on assisting Junon authorities again in finding these creatures and destroying them?"

"I am not planning on destroying anyone." Leviathan answered, his tone a bit flatter. "Nor assisting in any venture to destroy them. My kind will find them and ensure that they do no harm from now on."

"Mister…um…Mister Leviathan…" The reporter found herself asking after a moment, barely able to believe she was addressing the great beast as "mister". "You are aware that countless lives have been lost as a result of these creatures. Thousands will be without shelter or electricity tonight. Tens of thousands are injured or buried under the rubble. I would think that most governmental authorities would agree that they would have to be stopped before being allowed to cause anymore harm."

"Yes, they would." Leviathan answered. "However, you must understand something as well. These creatures have the mentality that humanity is out to destroy them…to hunt them down like dogs and then experiment on them before killing them slowly and violently. Your justice system does not declare that the punishment for the guilty of your own kind is to be hunted and torn to pieces as if the perpetrator was some wild animal. The creatures who did this are thinking, feeling beings just like we are. Therefore, so as to ensure that proper justice is done as well as to prevent further loss of human life, I ask that I be allowed to find and incarcerate these beings on my own terms. I understand that many of your people might not agree with me, but I ask you to please bear with me regardless, if for no other reason than to ensure that those who pursue them are not caught off guard by their own powers and abilities and more end up dying as a result."

"But Mr. Leviathan…who are you and what are these creatures? Where did you come from and why did this other group decide to attack Junon?"

"The details will come out if you interview those in charge of the defenses of Junon." Leviathan answered. "I don't wish to stay much longer. I came to only tell you the basics and to make one other thing clear."

"And what is that?" The reporter asked…actually finding herself holding her microphone up to the sea serpent.

Leviathan hesitated a moment, but then turned and looked to the cameraman, looking straight out through the lens to whoever was watching. The cameraman was a bit taken aback, but kept taping.

"That we aren't monsters. We aren't mindless beasts or fantasy creatures. Like you, we are sentient. And as a sentient being, we ask…even beg that the human race give us the same courtesy, dignity, and right to life as all sentient beings. There is much that we wish to share with all of you…much that we both know that we can share with each other. I implore you all to please not fear us or judge us harshly before even speaking with us…to make a little room on this world so that we might live beside you. To take this moment as an extension of our hand in friendship…so that we can talk as equals and not as monsters and humans the next time we meet one another."

With that, the sea serpent turned…looking like he was moving to leave. Not only him, but the others began to turn as well. The cameraman quickly moved over to them briefly, letting the viewers know they were moving away, but then looked back to Leviathan.

_"Keep him on! Keep talking!"_

"But Mr. Leviathan…" The reporter protested. Her words made the sea serpent pause, and he turned back over to her. Yet the others kept leaving. The ground began to shake again as the huge one began to turn and walk away, but the others were already picking up speed and growing distant. "The world has never encountered anything like this before…anything like you before."

"It has. It just doesn't remember." Leviathan answered simply before beginning to turn again.

"But what do we call you?" The reporter shouted again, making the sea serpent pause again. "What kind of creatures are you?"

The others were already breaking into runs and fleeing at this point. The bird took off into the sky while two of the others jumped nimbly and easily from their tier to the next highest one before running away. Yet the sea serpent hesitated again. Before he too shot away like a striking viper, pulling his coils behind him, and vanished back into the night, putting an abrupt end to this surprise live interview, he turned around long enough to say one final thing into the camera and microphone.

"We are the Guardian Forces."

* * *

_To be concluded..._


	37. Cancerous

_One Year Later_

"You're kidding me, right?" Ifrit snorted.

"You're the only one around with opposable thumbs." Leviathan calmly answered, before proceeding to gesture to one portion of the ruined wall with the end of his tail. "I put the outlet over there. Just move it there and plug it in. The satellite dish should get signals so we don't have to worry about programming or cable or anything digital."

Ifrit frowned and scratched his head. "Say what?"

A loud sigh suddenly went out, but it came from neither Ifrit nor Leviathan. Instead, both espers…or, more appropriately, guardian forces, turned and looked to see a new arrival coming in. A haze of frost and mist surrounded her as her body gracefully flew between two of the columns of the main chamber, and her body swept around once inside to reposition so that the feet were toward the ground. After that, she came in for a landing silently, and proceeded to shake her head as she walked over toward the large television set that Leviathan had been talking about for the past few minutes.

"If you would study as much as the rest of us, you'd understand what those things are." Shiva answered as she went. "Honestly, Ifrit…you're going to be the only creature left on Gaia who doesn't understand how electricity works."

Ifrit, seeing that Shiva was about to take his job away from him, and further make him look incompetent in the process, let out a growl. Immediately, he spun around and rushed past Shiva, getting to the television much faster than she did and seizing it. "I know about those lightning cords and all that!" He grumbled as he picked it up. "I just don't see why we need one of these stupid talking boxes up here!"

"It's called a 'television', and I want to try it out for a few weeks." Leviathan calmly answered from his side of the chamber. "It might make information gathering simpler since we can't just blend in with humanity anymore."

Ifrit merely let out another snarl as he picked up the box and began to carry it over to the place Leviathan had indicated. Now the sea serpent only had to hope that he had been right with the system called "wiring" and that he had managed to follow the directions in the schematic closely enough so that they could generate power and get one of those "signals" circulating around Gaia. He almost sighed at the thought of it. His brain felt fried from all the new knowledge he had to assimilate…

He did have to admit that putting this device in the middle of their new "central chamber", was a little unnerving as well as odd and impractical. The place was suspended hundreds of feet off the ground, right in the center of the city the humans had once called Midgar before a Meteor spell of catastrophic proportions had destroyed it and nearly the rest of Gaia along with it. Leviathan was stunned that such power was capable of being generated even now…but that was in the past. At any rate, about half of the central building had remained, and its current "upper floor" retained a sort of circular arrangement with metal braces of steel the humans called "girders" stretching up like old columns used to do in their own chamber. The result created a sort of ampitheater that was similar to the tastes of the old espers. And, always wanting to remain in contact with the outside world, it seemed fitting that only half of the ceiling of this floor remained, leaving half of it exposed to the sky. Of course, that also meant that the television would be exposed to the elements…and from what Leviathan had gathered that wasn't such a good idea. But for now, it could stay put.

Even with most of the building destroyed, the height offered an impressive and commanding view of most of the ruins of Midgar. For now, most of it was highly opposed to esper tastes…cold, mechanical, and lifeless. Yet they knew better. The series of events that had impacted Midgar over the past decade had altered the underground patterns of the Lifestream in such a way that this place would one day be the most fertile and life filled place on Gaia. Even now, the level of contact between it and the Planet was very strong. The strongest point appeared to be at that one church that was now the site of the Baptismal Garden. However, they couldn't very well settle there. It was too high traffic of an area. Although they had made their existence public knowledge, for now Leviathan was maintaining not to make it well known where they were living. In fact, he thought it might be wise in the near future to not have a central dwelling place for their kind as before. That was…until they at least were sure the remaining espers were under control…

On that thought, a stiff gale suddenly blew through the interior of the meeting chamber. Leviathan actually winced a bit, and Shiva shielded herself. Ifrit growled angrily himself as he closed his eyes while carrying the television. However, it died down quickly, as a twisted, multi-colored, purple individual suddenly dropped from the sky and touched down in the middle of the room.

Pandemona's air sac fluttered behind him as he crosses his arms and turned his bulbous eyes over toward Ifrit. The fire esper let out another snarl as he began to walk toward the outlet again. "Ah…" He remarked in his airy, almost irritating voice. "We got the TV. I have to admit, I have sort of a thing for them since coming back."

"Well this one's going through your head next time you land without warning me." Ifrit growled as he finally got it to the spot and put it down. Muttering, he went to the back and took up the plug. He immediately went for the outlet and tried to shove it inside, but after several unsuccessful attempts he began to grumble again. "Stupid thing… It's too big. I'm going to have to shove it in…"

Leviathan suppressed a sigh on hearing that. "…Try flipping it over first, Ifrit."

The fire esper paused momentarily on hearing that, but then did as he was told. As expected, it went in easily now. Apparently, Ifrit didn't realize that plugs had a "thin end" and a "thick end". At any rate, once it was in, Ifrit quickly backed away from it, like it was some sort of diseased object.

Yes, Pandemona was now officially "one of them". He was an independent spirit and it wasn't easy, but alone he could do little more than be a nuisance. After having a run in with one of the human's new airships and discovering that the weapons on human craft could now seek him out, he had come back to them. Apparently, he preferred to be "on the winning team". Leviathan sensed that motive and wasn't too keen on it, but it would be alright for now, he supposed.

It had turned out to not be hard to recruit the Gigantuar and the Tonberry King either. The Gigantuar was very easy; as it turned out the creature was injured, confused, and miles from an appropriate climate (resulting in it feeling ill and sick). Simply helping "deport" it to an area where Cactuars still lived was enough to make it agree to behave. The native Cactuars practically bowed down before it (as best as a Cactuar could), and he said he wouldn't cause any more trouble so long as no humans came around and tried slaughtering his kind. For the moment, no one seemed foolish enough to try picking fights with Cactuars, and so Leviathan assumed it was safe.

The Tonberry King was harder, but not so much as one might think. When he finally dragged himself out from under the ocean a month later, waterlogged and almost out of breath even for one of his size, he had run into all of the espers gathered together. He had been willing to fight them all…only to discover that his torch had long since been doused and that Carbuncle immediately threatened to send him into one of the abyss portions of the ocean next. Realizing even he couldn't survive a trip that long, he calmed down soon after. They argued a little, but eventually the Tonberry King agreed that if he was allowed a free reign of the land he wouldn't go out of his way to molest humans. As it ended up, he moved right into the ruins of Midgar. Somewhere below them, he was shifting about with his new lit up torch and scoping the ruins for any intruders. Luckily, he was large enough to cause most drifters or thrill seekers to run in terror before he could catch them.

The others dwelled in the tower now, save for Alexander. Seeming to be content to act more as a sentinel than a leader, he stood among the ruins of the smaller skyscrapers surrounding them, blending in rather well with the towers and waiting for trouble to occur. None had happened yet, but after a few months Alexander was back to full strength and the strongest of all of them. No one would risk causing any harm anywhere near his range, and he was more than capable of supervising all of the Midgar area. That caused a measure of stability, and at least some insurance that the Tonberry King wouldn't act up.

That left three espers still to be considered "rogue". Cerberus wasn't causing much problems…yet. His head was still regenerating even a year later, and so mostly he hid and endured his pain and suffering in silence. Leviathan didn't care for that. All this would do would nurse greater bitterness for the ones who wronged him. He had been working hard to try and find him, but Cerberus was still a creature of speed, and even if they managed to catch him they never managed more than a few words before he simply warped out of there. All they had heard from him in the past year was an order of "leave me alone" before disappearing, assuming they could even get that out of him. Leviathan hated it, but next time they encountered one another he realized he had to set some sort of a binding trap. There was little doubt in his mind that Cerberus would go on a mad rampage once he was recovered, and they had to stop him first before he hurt others or himself and in the process ruined any chance of fostering peace between guardian forces and humans.

The Doomtrain was another. Again, not many problems there…almost surprisingly. That Guardian Force had possessed considerable power, the potential for widespread destruction, and a hate for former espers as well. Finding him had been nearly impossible. It might not have been a creature of speed, but there were numerous ruined track lines throughout the world for it to hide on as well as the tracks it could create of its own making. Plus, due to its own nature and appearance, it could have been hiding right under their noses…on Edge or Midgar's own old train tracks masquerading as a phantom train once again. So long as it kept out of trouble, there was no pressing need to find it just yet…but Leviathan had a fear that the train would not remain underground forever, and on resurfacing it could wreck havoc on a city-wide scale once again…

Then there was Siren. She had gone back to her old tricks. They found signs of her time and time again. In one town, a quiet boy had robbed a bank at gunpoint and shot and injured two. In another town, a mother had abandoned her family and husband and run off with a young drifter/drug runner she apparently had no knowledge of beforehand. These and other cases were marked with the perpetrators appearing to "come out of a daze" once the crimes were accomplished and didn't know what possessed them to make them do these things, but always they had a memory of dark desires in their hearts coming out and driving them to do it.

Siren hadn't done anything on a large scale yet or caused any permanent damage, but this was bad enough. Leviathan and Alexander alone had to search for her, and unfortunately they weren't as fast or inconspicuous as the others. They lost track of her time and time again, and when they did catch her she would always manage to elude them, since she only was worrying about avoiding two different espers. When Leviathan had demanded explanations of her behavior, she would always just laugh in his face and say she was having fun like old times. She didn't seem to care if this hurt the relations of the guardian forces for all others…she just liked to play her little games and pooh-pooh the notions that Leviathan and his brethren tried to promote. The esper was foolish as well as sadistic. She should have known this sort of behavior was what had gotten her killed ages ago… Yet for now, she was still at large and nowhere near apologetic.

Ifrit finished plugging it in and leaned up. "I don't see why you needed me for that." He grumbled yet again. "You could have done that with your tail well enough."

"That wasn't the problem." Leviathan answered. "My coils are a bit too awkward to put in that coaxial cable, however. It should be on the ground next to it. Could you screw it on over the tab in the back of the TV?"

Ifrit's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding." He snapped around and resumed complaining as he bent down to get it. "How many things get attached to this damn box?!"

"Oh, stop complaining." Shiva answered as she leaned against one of the support girders and crossed her arms. "And Leviathan…just let me do it next time if he's going to whine like a sick puppy."

The fire esper bristled on hearing this. After grumbling under his breath again, he proceeded to snatch up the cord and begin to tie it once again.

"Feh…I bet he'll be crashed out in front of it every day once it's done."

Leviathan turned his eyes slightly downward, not at all surprised that a voice suddenly came from his feet. By now, he and the others were used to how easily and quickly the guardian force Carbuncle made his way around. After all, when he was still an esper he was in the habit of using teleportation quite frequently. Apparently he was done with his morning visit. Now, a small aqua green creature with big ears, sporting a disposable cup of water, was seated at his feet.

Carbuncle took a sip of his cup, and then turned around to Leviathan. After a pause, he held the cup up to him. "Want a sip? I think I actually managed a weak chicken broth this time…"

Leviathan sighed in response to this. "I've told you a hundred times. Don't bother trying. It won't work."

Carbuncle merely waved a paw at him in a dismissive gesture before he took another sip.

To tell the truth, Leviathan hated being reminded of the fact that their rebirth had made them lose their ability to transfigure objects or shapeshift. He hadn't had nearly enough time to research it, but his current theory was that their bodies, however magical, were no longer made out of any special material or magicite. Now they were the same flesh, blood, and bone as everything else, since when they were reborn they essentially possessed current normal bodies and then altered them. Although there had been a transformation influenced by magic to better match their outward appearances of their old bodies as well as their abilities to use magic, they were nevertheless still using "inferior materials". As a result, Leviathan supposed that they were no longer using the "proper equipment" to facilitate such matter reorganization, whether of themselves or anything else.

For months, Leviathan had tried private experiments to regain this ability, but to no avail. He hated it. He had been able to alter objects since he was twenty. To be unable to almost felt like being disabled, despite the fact that the far, far majority of living creatures on Gaia had gotten away without it for a long time. There was only one glimpse of hope in this regard now. Since their bodies were immortal, over time (unlike the case of regular mortals), all cells would be completely replaced. Perhaps, when that happened, their bodies would be reconstructed to no longer be purely "mortal" but to match their spirits better so as to enable the old abilities. Of course, there was no way of knowing if this would happen or if that ability would ever return again. In any case, it would require time…longer time than they had been alive again, thus far. A few months ago Leviathan used to jump at any experimental result he or anyone else had conducted to see some signs of recovery of this old ability. If it was still that time, he would have immediately leapt at the chance to sample the water and see if Carbuncle's claim was true. However, he refused to now. He had many letdowns and disappointments in the past, and frankly his mind had wanted to believe that there was some sort of recovery going on so much that he had imagined that he was seeing some change that wasn't there. Hence, he planned on at least waiting a few more years before trying again, when he should definitely see something…assuming his theory was right.

Yet seeing that Carbuncle had returned, Leviathan soon forgot about that annoying facet and instead asked about a topic of more interest to him. While Ifrit continued to mumble and complain around the TV, he focused on the new arrival. "So how are things at the orphanage?"

Carbuncle grimaced. "Terrible. They all tried to pet my head and pull my ears and pull out my ruby. And then there was that one who tried to rub my belly." The green creature groaned. "Why do they all think I'm a dog? Besides, you know how violated that makes me feel? Next time they try that, I ought to tell those kids that I could sue for sexual harassment for something like that."

Leviathan wished he could turn into a human at that moment…so he could cross his arms. "That's all very interesting, Carbuncle, but I hope that you actually were paying attention to something besides how the children were reacting to you."

"You'd think you'd be used to it by now…" Pandemona mused from the side, casting a bored glance in their direction.

Carbuncle turned to him momentarily with a frown. "If I had fingers, I'd flip you off."

"Damnit, go in you little…" Ifrit swore from the TV as he wrestled with the coaxial cable.

Ignoring this, Carbuncle turned back to Leviathan with a frown. "And yes, I was paying attention to that." He sighed soon afterward, his face turning grim (as grim as it could) before continuing in a down tone as he leveled his eyes on the sea serpent.

"Another act of vandalism. This time, _two_ windows got broken out. And worse. One of the teens told me he heard one of the vandals fire off one of those gun things into the air."

Leviathan stiffened on hearing that. One very popular item that had been invented in his absence, and one he was quickly growing to hate based on how often it was pointed at them, was the gun. Essentially, they were like miniature personal cannons, only meant to kill single people instead of blowing away groups or putting holes in enemy ships. However, humans had grown quite sophisticated with their ability to make guns now. They made things called "bullets" instead of shot that already had the right amount of powder put into each one, and only required a tap of a hammer to ignite and fire. They put special heads on others to pound through layers of armor. Some guns had long barrels and could shoot from far away, while others had short ones and sprayed out rapid fire shots…so quickly that you could kill a dozen people in seconds. Although they themselves could be used for good or evil, just like any other weapon, Leviathan was also quickly learning that they could be used for another purpose…generating fear.

Needless to say, Leviathan and the other guardian forces had become friends with Aerith and her assorted friends and family. Leviathan himself was rather impressed with her husband, Ragnar, despite the fact that he had played only a small role in the events that occurred with Diablos. He was a good individual for "bridging the gap" between their species…being the only one on Gaia at present who had extensive historical knowledge of their day and could understand where they were coming from. It never ceased to amaze…the ability of humanity to forget their past and be doomed to repeat it. Even what records had been made of the previous millennia were mostly reduced to rotting tomes of legends and unorganized dead language ramblings. Ragnar himself had gotten most of his knowledge simply due to the Planet revealing the secret of the Cetra language to him. Nevertheless, he still made for good company.

The orphanage was doing well enough. The children were back and it had taken some time, but the place had been rebuilt and repopulated by the combined families of Aerith and Tifa. Shelke had ended up agreeing to Aerith's proposal and had stayed on there for a time. During that period, despite her level of maturity and actual time on Gaia, she attempted to "pick up" from her current physical age, now that she was growing older again. However, she must have known, just as Leviathan had known, that things were not so simple. She couldn't simply revert back to the way she had been before, not after having spent decades in a place that could only have been a Hell on Gaia for humanity. Shiva had healed her deep wounds, but unfortunately even her healing power couldn't remove the deepest scars that had been left in her.

He supposed she only was able to stay when things were still "in flux". Diablos had left many scars of his own. The area known as Deepground took weeks to evacuate the remaining people there, although, on the very first day she was able to use her power again, Aerith had gone in herself and not rested until every last bit of Diablos' shapeshifting evil was gone. But even she couldn't remove the multitude from down there so simply. It ended up requiring human effort to pull them out. Once they were gone, the remaining mako reactor was shut down and all cleared out regions were collapsed with explosives. They couldn't destroy it completely yet, for fear that some survivors might still be down there. However, its progressive demolition continued from day to day.

It is always easier to destroy than to create, and such was the case for Kalm and Edge…towns turned upside down by Diablos' influence. Rebuilding took months, and it was compounded by the lack of the citizenry to be able to return to their old jobs. There was an aura of unsettled mood and fear among all, including those who had been memory wiped. They had no idea what had happened to them over the past few days or what had occurred in their towns. Some of them had been in broken up families that needed to be reunited. Others…had family members that had been killed in self defense. It is not an easy thing to have your life suddenly taken from you and thrown into chaos in such a way. There was a great deal of psychological issues to resolve before resolving the problems of rebuilding the city and returning to the former way of life could occur.

During this time, everyone was so worried about their own problems and at a loss of what had happened to their world that the Cetra family and their circle of friends were able to pretty much look to their own affairs, and it seemed that was the way they were used to anyway. Initially, the human at the start of all this, Horus, as well as her two friends, restored to humanity, stuck around the orphanage to get their bearings. They had managed to survive all of the chaos, although at one point, no doubt, they had been turned into minions of Diablos. They came to them because they had nowhere else to go. However, they only stayed for about two weeks. After that, they left without so much as a word of goodbye. Leviathan couldn't say he understood it completely, but from what he had learned they were still criminals, and they didn't exactly have the best past with Aerith and her friends. They couldn't have had an easy time with the guardian force spirits living in their bodies either. They were probably eager to go. However, they did manage a thank you, and they had thanked Quetzacoatl personally, in the end. They avoided the minotaur brothers, however. Apparently, they were still a bit too frightening or offsetting in their personalities. At any rate, they hadn't been heard from since.

Rex ended up staying for a month…as long as it took to get the airfield operational for commercial travel again. He could have probably gotten a ride sooner back to his own hometown, but he decided against it, leaving the airships of the world to work on ferrying relocated passengers or hauling construction materials and relief supplies. Leviathan had taken a bit of a liking to him after all this, and had offered a chance to share some of his wisdom with the young man if he decided to stay in the Edge area. In the end, however, Rex had refused in favor of going back to work. And when he did, Leviathan could tell that in spite of all that happened he was still nervous around the guardian forces.

That was about the time the Turks had broken away from them as well, returning to their own lifestyle in Junon. They wouldn't have even stayed that long if it hadn't been for Krystea, who wished to remain with her "sister" a bit longer. That wasn't all she did while she was there, however. For the first time in her life, Krystea began to attempt to commune with the Planet. By now, Leviathan had the details of Krystea's true origins. He still was getting a grasp of modern technology (and the notion of cloning in the first place was amazing to him), but he had a feeling that by "skipping" early development Krystea had allowed whatever aspect of her mind or spirit that allowed her to talk with the Planet to atrophy, and for a while he thought that it might never recover, and that she would live more or less as a regular human being.

Such wasn't the case though… It was true that she got nowhere in her personal sessions with Aerith, but as she continued to work and struggle and try to "awaken" that part of her psyche, something had occurred. Almost right before she left, Leviathan had received word that Krystea had begun to talk coherently while falling asleep. Not while asleep, mind you, but while falling asleep…in the few brief moments where the mind is cleared before falling into REM. It could have been mistaken for dreams regardless…except that Krystea herself recalled vividly these moments…that she was seeing some sorts of ribbons of pale green light dancing before her, and that she could hear murmurs coming from it. She had spoken in an attempt to call out to them, or for one to "speak up" so she could hear it better. Aerith herself noted that she vaguely remembered doing the same way back when she was three or four, right as her power began to mature. It seemed as if that power would come to the forefront after all…

Leviathan was interested in Krystea. His early theory regarding her had only been supported by the fact that he learned of her special conditioning during development as well as the "Aleron" incident. Some of her faculties appeared to be above normal…or even human. Parts of her had been "enhanced" that she never knew about. Her potential was even greater than he had initially theorized. If she ever became a Sorceress as well…Leviathan could only imagine what she would be capable of…

At any rate, Shelke stayed on through all of this. There had been word a few times that it was actually Azure who encouraged her to remain with them, and Leviathan hadn't been around for thousands of years to be so blind as to not realize that the young man stared at her a bit longer than normal…changed his tone of voice around her every once in a while… He had a feeling he was attracted to her. However, at six months, she had finally packed up and left, despite his protests or insistences. Part of it was unfortunately due to the fact that no matter how much she tried, she was not a child anymore. She could never get that back. She did have friends now, which was a great step in any direction, but she seemed to realize that she wasn't going to find a new place for her in the world on the surface with them. She had to try and find her own way for a while. Based on her past, Leviathan imagined that this was for the best. After all…right now, what she had to do next was learn to forgive herself for all that she had done. Yet unfortunately…this wasn't the only reason.

At the end of six months, life had started to return to normal…save for the unknown about how this had all taken place. And while Leviathan and his brethren had learned to be patient with the unknown in their own long lives, humanity hated it more than anything. And to find an explanation for the unknown, they would resort to anything…but usually panic, fear…and hate.

Hundreds of people knew that Leviathan and his group had come to their aid. Unfortunately, thousands had only seen huge monsters tearing up the city. Leviathan had made his "public announcement", but it hardly seemed to matter. They had still destroyed a good portion of the city themselves just from collateral damage from battling Diablos and his own minions. Alexander alone had leveled seven blocks despite the fact that he had managed to do so without killing anyone. And as for those who had seen them, they were already terrified of the massive creatures. Therefore, their minds had seen them destroying, and their own fears and lack of knowledge filled in the rest: they had all been tearing the city apart, not just some. As for most other people, there was no such thing as "good monsters" and "bad monsters". There was only monsters. They were stronger, taller, and more monstrous than humans. They had to be bad. Even if they weren't, they were something that wasn't understood or controlled. They were free, destructive entities roaming around the world. People didn't want that. They didn't like the thought of large guardian forces with enough power to destroy entire city blocks running around free, regardless of whether or not they were "nice". Sure, they might have come to help out in a time of crisis…but why take a chance on them turning mean? The average person would feel a lot safer if they simply weren't around at all…

Unfortunately, before now, there had already been some talk of the return of "magic" into the world, whether it was called magic, witchcraft, gifts, or demon possession. And one thing was undeniable. Whatever had happened in Junon and the rest of the Eastern Continent had been a result of this new power. Some doubted that the creatures they saw had been real at all, but instead that the destruction was caused by humans possessing this strange new ability. But whether they thought that was the case or not didn't matter. Almost all survivors had witnessed the floating throne of Diablos and the cult he had there. Whether the magic used came from Diablos or another person, the fact was that it had come. Magical individuals had rallied against people and used their craft against them. That, in the eyes of almost everyone, made magic and magic casters the enemy.

Hence what was happening at the orphanage. Early on, when people were still trying to rebuild, no one had the time to be fearful or hateful of the children or their matron. Either that…or they were simply too scared of them to risk anything. But now that things were going back to the way they were before, a new surge of hate was arising. Leviathan had learned before now that there was some fear and distrust of the orphanage before, but it was growing now. Vandalism had grown on the orphanage, and was now almost a weekly occurrence. This latest episode was just one of many in a long chain. Two weeks ago, when the children had been out for outdoor play time, a mob had begun to gather. There were just a few at first, but they soon increased in number. Some of them brought bats. Another brought a broken bottle. They stared hatefully at first…but then a few started murmuring vulgar insults to those who got to close to the fence. They grew louder, and soon became outright profanity. Then that started to turn into threats. The children were brought in after that, but the crowd continued to grow until Azure and Denzel had stepped out to try and disperse them. Even then, they started to grow violent. A fight might have broken out that could have resulted in human authorities invading the orphanage and doing who knew what…if not for one individual. For once, Leviathan was glad for Carbuncle's mischief. The green creature had been dropping in for a visit, and on seeing the situation going out of hand, he teleported the entire mob five miles away. The action had been so surprising and shocking that they had broken up soon after…but the children hadn't been outside to play since.

That was one reason Leviathan had tried to get the TV hooked up today. Normally, he couldn't make visits to the orphanage. Talking with humans for him normally required the cover of darkness and prearranged, secluded spots. Going there for a "news bulletin" was out of the question. Therefore, when one of the local news network talk shows announced that they were going to have a closed forum from two "specialists" on the subject, he wanted to make sure he caught it.

Unfortunately, Leviathan realized as he looked at the time, it was taking Ifrit so long that they were already missing it.

_I think I will just have Shiva do it next time…_

Ifrit let out a large exhale, and finally leaned up and back from the TV. "Alright…I finally got that damn thing on there. So how does it work now?"

"Just stand back from it, Ifrit." The sea serpent answered.

The guardian force immediately obliged, glad to be rid of the thing. The moment he had stepped away, Leviathan began to slink forward toward it.

Pandemona leaned up in response. "Alright, we're set! Can we watch 25 first? That's a movie channel."

"Get real, purple." Carbuncle scoffed as he began to near the TV himself. "There's things called cartoons on 14. They draw thousands and thousands of pictures and then they have this guy move them so fast it looks like they're coming to life…"

"We're watching 5. That's the one with the forum." Leviathan answered as he reached the television. Soon after, he reached out with the tail end of his coils and grasped the set, shifting it so that it faced them. Pandemona gave a "hmf" in response, but everyone else quickly began to gather in and around.

"Shall we call in Quetzacoatl and the brothers?" Shiva asked. "This does pertain to all of us."

"That's alright. We can give them the main details later." Leviathan responded as he moved his tail off again. Actually, the main reason he didn't want the brothers there was because he wasn't sure of how they'd enjoy the response. Although, after a year together, he was fairly certain that the minotaur brothers would stick with their kindred for good, he didn't want Sacred to blow his stack if they said something here he didn't like. He had enough problems corralling Ifrit…

Once at the television, Leviathan gave a moment's pause. After all, he wasn't too used to operating machines even if he knew more about them than most other espers. He looked over it a bit hesitantly at first, but in the end reached up and mashed the "power" button. Sure enough, a clicking went off somewhere within the machine followed by an ultrasonic whine. A few moments after that, the sound of talking began to come through the speakers. A picture popped up a moment later (causing Ifrit to actually leap back a bit in surprise, and forcing Shiva to calm him down). Leviathan took a moment to analyze what was on, and it appeared to be one of those paired "morning talk shows" that humans were so fond of now. He swore…all they cared about sometimes was talking. At any rate, this was channel 2. He moved the tip of his tail over to the channel buttons and quickly pushed it, changing it to 3 and some sort of image of various bits of information slowly cycling on the screen rather than humans talking. He pressed it two more times after that, moving it to 5.

The moment he had done so, a somewhat familiar image, at least to Leviathan, came into view. It was of a red creature that appeared to be a mixture between lion and wolf, put up in front of a background that appeared to be some sort of chamber for relics or antiquities, like some sort of museum. Leviathan recognized this as well. It was a chamber in the place the humans called Cosmo Canyon. He had been there many times in secret as well as open, digging for clues about what had happened to the espers and their memory following the War of the Magi and the Collapse. As for the creature, he had met him before. In older times, the espers had named his race the Maestrocoerul, or "Masters of the Coerul". They were related to them distantly, but distinct in that they appeared to be fully sentient. There were very few of them left, apparently, in modern times. In fact, Leviathan himself was only aware of this one. His name was Nanaki. He was the custodian of Cosmo Canyon and one of its more learned scholars working there, as well as a veteran of the recent Volunteer War and a friend to Ragnar Vice.

There was some text on the bottom of the screen that went on to attribute to him both that name and the title of his position at Cosmo Canyon. Leviathan himself was aware that Nanaki was not only of great assistance in helping the former espers discover their past, but he had been one of their advocates. There was little doubt what side he would be representing in any debate regarding them. However, there was little time to think on this. Whatever was happening was already started. Nanaki was already speaking as soon as he landed on the right channel.

"…It is a well known fact that the far majority of people tend to think that the human race is the only sentient one on Gaia. I may be living proof to the contrary, yet the myth still persists." He continued from whatever point he had begun. "The truth of the matter is that Gaia's history is rich with many varieties of races…all of which had different philosophies, concepts of life, insights into the world's nature, knowledge of history, etc. The fact that we have made contact with a new race such as these guardian forces could represent a new era in civilization for mankind. I think it would be over simplistic at best and foolish at worst to just so easily arrive at one conclusion so soon after making contact."

A bit of a chuckle came from Pandemona. "He makes me feel like one of those alien visitors in those things called 'fiction scientific' movies."

"You'd better hope not." Shiva coldly answered as she kept watching.

Soon after that, the screen switched, this time showing a split of two different faces. Nanaki was on one side, while on the other was an official in some sort of suit that most "upper" humans seemed to wear nowadays to show their standing. Leviathan recognized this particular one. He believed his name was Mr. Farthing. He was currently one of the city council members for the town of Edge, and was currently the largest "anti-magic" advocate in the city proper. Like most of the other people in Edge and Kalm, he had not escaped the last incident unscathed. No doubt, at one point, he was likely transformed into one of the monsters Diablos employed in his army. Unfortunately for them, the homes of their greatest current human friends were in a place in the world most negatively impacted by negative actions.

The unseen announcer soon spoke. "Mr. Farthing, your response?"

The camera proceeded to put him in full screen.

"No disrespect to Mr. Nanaki or his service in the Volunteer War…" He began. "But frankly I am shocked that a person of such apparent brilliance and skill in terms of logic and reasoning, who knows better to deal with facts rather than suppositions or 'warm feelings', is taking his current stance. The fact of the matter is that we were attacked. No amount of good faith or hopes is going to change the fact that these creatures, monsters, or 'guardian forces', whatever they want to call themselves, made themselves hostile from day one. Entire city blocks have been devastated and people have been murdered. That doesn't even begin to get into whatever sorts of horrible abominations occurred to the people of Kalm and Edge, myself included, or what was going on beneath the area of former Midgar. I'm wondering if Mr. Nanaki has seen some of the photos that were taken of that underground facility and how it seems to be something from some sort of demonic horror film. Not to mention the fact that if just half of the eyewitness stories coming in can be confirmed to be true, we are looking at something so terrible and abominable that it defies any act of terrorism, bio-terrorism, or the like that we have ever encountered."

A snarl from Ifrit. "Sure…so long as you ignore the Emperor of Palamecia, the suspension of time, the Giant of Bab-Il, the opening of the Void, the invasion from Terra…"

"Shh!" Leviathan hushed, for once a bit of emotion in his voice. He wanted to hear this.

"I am not disputing the facts regarding any of those events." Nanaki began to speak up, first while Farthing was still on the screen, but continuing as it quickly shifted to him. "What I am saying is in the same vein as the one called Leviathan announced publicly at the onset of this…that it would be unfair, when there is so much to be gained, not to mention immoral in terms of violating justice, to simply lump all of these so-called 'guardian forces' together into one category to be summarily judged. This is especially in light of the fact that I can produce at least 200 documented testimonies of individuals in the city of Junon observed incidences of guardian forces acting in protective or counter-offensive roles."

"Your response, Mr. Farthing?"

"First of all, the reports coming out of Junon are so conflicted to this day that at least 26 percent of the testimonies coming from eye witnesses in Junon have since been considered unreliable or falsified and many are still subject to verification. But second of all…I would like to know why Nanaki would consider a mass-scale violation of laws…a massacre and a terrorist action…exempt from any sort of legal reciprocations or judgments simply based on the fact that the perpetrators are not human. I mean, you talk to me about showing equality. Alright…should these creatures not be considered equal to all other humans, then, in being punishable and accountable according to law?"

"In that case, Mr. Farthing, I should remind you that until about fifty years ago marshal law was still the law of the land in most districts and city-states on the face of Gaia. In my hometown alone the locals were forced to band together to fight off wild bandits and even warring tribes from time to time with little regard to any higher legal authority or law of the land. I should especially remind you that, to this day, the entire Volunteer War's first year and a half was fought outside of the involvement of any internationally recognized governments. Furthermore, the claim that was made that the innocent parties would be lumped together with the guilty has historical evidence to back it up…"

"Alright, alright…" Farthing cut off in a sighing voice, causing attention to shift back to him. "Mr. Nanaki, allow me to pose to you a question. Let's say you had a brother, and they decided to steal from me. I catch them in the act and I desire restitution. Which of these two options makes more logical sense to you? Holding him accountable and trying him as a regular criminal punishable by law…or having you come before me, essentially telling him to stay away from your brother, to leave you to handle it according to whatever justice system _you_ feel is fair, and then go into hiding along with them? Which of these two sounds more logical? Which of these two makes you look like a criminal yourself?"

"What you're beginning to hint at, may I remind you, is exactly what Leviathan hinted at in his statement to the press, Mr. Farthing."

"What I'm hinting at, Mr. Nanaki, is the accepted international statue that would immediately charge Leviathan and the other guardian forces with him with assisting and abetting a group of international criminals…assuming that they meet the legal definition for criminals and not simply monsters…and saying that they should either side with the law of the land or bear that status with all consequences. If they want to be considered innocent, then they should start acting like it. Otherwise, I think their notoriety is perfectly justified."

"So you do, in fact, believe that the just punishment for protection for life, for acts of heroism, is to find yourself judged and condemned as well? To be condemned before bestowing any measure of equality or justice, as you are suggesting right now?"

"They certainly didn't consider us very equal or worthy of justice when they attacked. And that is a surefire mark of not only a terrorist but a murderer."

"I am quite skilled at picking out defining 'marks' of my own, Mr. Farthing. And I must say that much of what you are saying at this moment seems to not only be catering to the fears of much of the public, but catering to them. You appear to be appealing to the current public senses of fear and uncertainty in the wake of this incident…and may I note that it has helped you out considerably. Your name is far more well known as of late. Your own prestige is beginning to increase to that level of the mayor of Edge's. And as food for thought for the viewing audience…I would encourage them all to be aware that there have been numerous politicians throughout history who played off of fear and panic among the general population by making themselves heads of 'witch hunts' that led to the destruction of much innocent life…"

"Mr. Nanaki, I do not appreciate what you are insinuating in the least, and unless you have anything concrete to back up what you're implying I will consider it potential slander. That said…neither I nor my comrades have done anything to create this fear. We didn't try to make people afraid or uncertain, as you put it. The ones you're trying to defend did that. And may I note that they didn't do it alone. In addition to them, the reports of incidences of non-materia magical abilities awakening within certain individuals and being demonstrated in secret…things you also defend…have done far more to motivate the fears of the populace than any comments I have made. People are not scared or wanting action due to me telling them, Mr. Nanaki. They want it because that is what is needed. Over the past few years, our world has been turned upside down by news of these guardian forces and things we can only term as innate magical abilities. We tried doing it your way once, Mr. Nanaki, and letting it slide. The result was what happened in Kalm, Edge, and Junon. These phenomenon are dangerous. _Extremely _dangerous. They have to be dealt with now before more loss of life occurs. Strong action must be taken now before we suffer again."

Nanaki began to open his mouth again to speak, but before a word could get out, the unseen announcer's voice cut in.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid that's all the time we have. I'd like to thank you both for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here." Soon after, the picture of the two men disappeared, and switched entirely back to the until now unseen announcer. "Still to come…mysterious electrical storms have been plaguing Nibelheim for the past two weeks now. Is this a sign of more latent magical abilities arising, or one of the guardian forces? We'll…"

Abruptly, the face of the man distorted and appeared to bloat, turning into a lumpy, twisted version if its previous self. As it did, the sound he was making appeared to twist and grow slower and more drawn out as well. This was before the man, his studio, and the rest of the television he was on began to glow red. It quickly built up in the same red glare…before suddenly exploding in a flurry of sparks, completely blowing out the screen. As soon as that was done, the rest of the TV began to quickly shrivel and slump, literally melting down into a puddle.

Pandemona, Carbuncle, and Shiva turned to Ifrit, seeing him still growling and fuming at the TV as he lowered his hand from it. Smoke was pouring from his mouth and the air around him rippled with heat.

"You're getting a new one." Shiva flatly told him.

"Worthless piece of garbage…" Ifrit snorted as he turned away and began to fume off, his footsteps creating melted pieces of iron against the floor as he walked away.

Pandemona let out a sigh. "So much for the movie channel…"

"Maybe Leviathan can fix it." Carbuncle suggested hopefully. He quickly began to turn around. "Hey, Lev-"

However, as he turned behind him, he suddenly cut himself off. The other two quickly turned as well to see why he had done so, and saw why.

Leviathan was gone.

It was about thirty minutes later when Shiva, walking for once and not just gliding, made light noises as her footsteps lightly rapped against the metal ground of the structure. She was in one of the "wings" of the building at the moment, which really wasn't a wing at all but rather simply some of the building that had been hit harder than the rest of it, ripping off more floors than in the central portion, and in effect creating a sort of "side chamber", where one could go off and be alone if they so wished, having a look of the city all to themselves. At this level, one still commanded a good view of the ruins despite being lower than the central chamber. It seemed a bit windier here…cooler than normal. However, that was fine with Shiva, who would have no problem with this entire area being an arctic waste. It was merely a refreshment to her.

However, it wasn't to satisfy her own desires or sensations that she now walked out onto this wing. It was because it was where she figured she would find her father.

Shiva came to a halt at first as she spotted him. Her body remained in the semi-wrecked archway that led from the central building to this small overlook. She leaned against the wall for a few moments, crossed her arms, and silently stared out in front of her.

Framed in front of the skyline was the sinewy, long body of Leviathan. He "posed" as he normally did, with most of his coils beneath him and the short length of his body including his head extended upward at about slightly greater than human level. He was silent and still, as he often was when he was contemplating. He always desired to be off by himself to do this. Long respected as the wisest of the espers, no one could ever truly fathom what he was thinking of on any of his outings. Well…in older days, there was one who could…the queen mother herself. But she had passed now, and that left Leviathan with just a handful of his old acquaintances and offspring to speak with.

Shiva wasn't nearly so good at guessing Leviathan's mind. However, she had a pretty good idea of what it was this time. After all, it was on all their minds now. The ice woman let out a sigh of frosty breath, turning the air in front of her into crystals, before finally breaking the silence.

"…I've told myself…'How did you expect it to go? Did you really expect them to take to you?' This generation has even less knowledge of us than the post-War of the Magi generation did." She hesitated at that, and frowned slightly. "…And look what they did to me and Ifrit during that time…" She murmured slightly under her breath.

Leviathan didn't answer. He continued to stare.

Shiva slowly pulled herself off the wall and began to walk toward him. "The more we try to deny it…the more Ramuh's old philosophy beats us over the head. Humans and espers weren't meant to live together. Espers…guardian forces…whatever we are now… There will never be a world where they can see us as equals. It's the old adage. Humans always feared what they couldn't control, and the more they control the more they see what's beyond their control. In all honesty…I can't blame what that human was saying. It did make logical sense…if only from the philosophy of self-preservation. Selfish and cowardly, perhaps…but true, none the less."

Leviathan didn't respond.

Shiva exhaled another sigh as she came up behind him. Finally, she slowed to a halt once she reached there, and placed her arms at her sides. She could tell this wasn't working. Like their old lord, Leviathan had unshakable faith in humanity, even when it bordered on insanity or stupidity. Sadly, she could not perfectly share such sentiments. For every Rydia or Locke, there always seemed to be a hundred Zemes or Kefkas. At any rate, she would continue as she had always done…even if it did get harder with the passing centuries.

"Who knows? Perhaps they will eventually learn from history…" Shiva spoke up in a somewhat more helpful voice. "Maybe things will somehow come through their time. We do have advocates now…small in number though they be. Just the same, perhaps we should make a contingency plan of some sort. Perhaps we should separ-"

"I fear there is no contingency plan for what I sense."

Shiva immediately went silent. Leviathan had spoken at last, and his voice was very somber and grave. However, she had not lived alongside him for thousands of years and not been able to realize at a time like this that she had been mistaken once again in guessing Leviathan's mind. Something else entirely was on it…and from his tone of voice, it sounded far more serious.

"I was hoping that things would calm down now…" Leviathan continued, his voice still slow and fearful. "Create some sense of balance…but no. More chaos from order is decreed, it seems. The humans will only escalate it, as they have always…"

Shiva's brow furrowed. "What do you speak of?"

Leviathan drew in a deep breath and exhaled it again, not turning around as he kept looking over the city.

"I can feel her…with more chaos inside than an old body, wracked by the pressures and energies of years, until all things begin to wear out and erode…and all processes that are natural and true become befouled and confused…giving rise to disease…cancer…" Leviathan sighed. His head slowly shook. "…She is not the mother I knew at Ultima Nexus…"

Shiva blinked. "I still don't understand."

Leviathan paused, but then finally addressed her. "…You remember what we learned of during the crisis known as Meteorfall, correct? About Gaia's WEAPONs?"

Shiva halted as, unbelievably as it would seem for an ice esper, an uncomfortable chill rippled through her. To the espers, Gaia was a source of life and bounty. She was the mother they all looked to and loved for having given rise to all of them through the original espers. To them, although she could constantly be victimized and assaulted, and might respond by acts of seemingly random chaos, that balance was always restored through such chaos, and that, inside, Gaia wished for life to continue to grow and be sustained within her.

Yet that changed when they learned of the WEAPONs. Knowing that such horrors had existed…swept over the world…they realized something quite fearsome indeed. Gaia herself had give birth to a new race. One of extremely limited number, yes…but one that was not meant for creation or life or any new wonders. It was meant for destruction. She created life forms for the sole purpose of destroying other life forms. Humans had done much to her, yes…but deep down in their heart of hearts, no matter even though her life be risked, the esper kind had never dreamed their mother would become so violent…so passionate…so angry…to actually attempt to fight back. To actually attempt to create the genocide of one of her own peoples… Even now, it shook the espers to the core.

"For lifetimes I considered Gaia to see us of such small matter…us and the affairs of humanity…" Leviathan continued. "But I was wrong. The countless horrors…bids for power…acts that ripped reality in twine again and again…the surges of death and life constantly straining her Lifestream…I was a fool to think they would be without consequence. Their trauma continued to pile on her again and again…their agony continued to fester in her mind as one scar after another was ripped into her… She weathered it all for so long…but it couldn't be forever. Any more than one can be continuously tortured for countless generations and expect to remain sane forever. The WEAPONs proved it…Gaia is capable of hate. Hate as strong and as violent as those who hated her. Perhaps WEAPON was meant as a slap across the face…something to awaken the world's creatures to being aware of her presence…but no longer. It failed. And now…"

Leviathan trailed off here.

Shiva, however, was engrossed at this point. She took a step forward. "…Now?"

"Now I do not know." Leviathan answered. "I haven't the wisdom. This is beyond what I understand. I have only what I can theorize…what I can see as a potential for happening…and pray does not."

Again, a foreign cold chill.

"And what do you see happening?"

Leviathan swallowed once.

"You understand what a cancer is, do you not, Shiva?"

The ice woman was taken aback at a question in response, but that was the way Leviathan spoke. And so, after a moment, she gave a nod. "The natural countermeasures inside the cell of a body become flawed. They turn off, and tell the cell to continue to grow and divide, although it should have stopped at that point. They grow uncontrollably, consuming the resources for all of their neighbors, and kill the body."

"An ironic thing." Leviathan answered slowly. "The cell that became 'cancerous' was only thinking it was creating more life…thinking it was doing the right thing. But it became perverted. It focused so much on its own task that it operated to the detriment of the rest of the body. It is life perverted…taking something beautiful and natural and shifting it ever so slightly so that it creates something that destroys all around it and itself."

Shiva stiffened again.

"…Are you saying that the Planet is doing the same?"

"The WEAPONs were an infection…an inflammation…a vicious but nevertheless somewhat natural response to Jenova arriving on Gaia. But if what I sense is what I fear…something…something cancerous, perverted, and unnatural even as it thinks it is perfectly natural…is now growing deep within Gaia. Whatever it is…if it is truly what I fear, then it will not be satisfied until it spreads its own cancer, its own thoughts of the way the Planet should be, into every area of the world."

The chill was gone. Now, it was replaced by true fear. The horrible possibility that Leviathan had presented now echoed through her mind. The ice woman stepped up behind Leviathan.

"…And how do we stop it?"

"If what Ramuh said was correct, as you say, it cannot be stopped." Leviathan grimly answered. "Whatever I sense deep within the Planet…the only chance we had at somehow arresting its progress or making it come to fruition was to give the world a few thousand years of natural order and peace. Even then, I figured it would be too late. Yet that will not happen. We've come to life only to fuel a new era of fear and hate for humanity. Magic-using humans, as well as us, will not be tolerated. And the fact that magic is ours indicates that we have a strong tie to Gaia. Our deaths, our anguish, our suffering…she will feel it strongly. This latest tension will be the last push…what will make this fully cancerous."

Shiva stared blankly on at Leviathan, these fearful possibilities escalating through her head. All of what the sea serpent spoke filled her heart with fear. The silence that followed only allowed the fear to continue to fester and grow within her heart.

However, after a time, Leviathan finally turned behind him. He spotted her. His face was blank at first, not as grim and somber as his voice. But on seeing Shiva like this, he twisted in place a bit before managing a small smile.

"It's only a possibility, Shiva. Not a reality." He finally spoke. "It could just be an old man's fears. And if it isn't, then we worry for nothing." He began to turn toward her again, nodding as he did so. "Forget about it. Your concern initially was far more better placed. We should indeed make a contingency plan for that arrival and continue to see what we can do to make peace between our races. After all, we've just come back to life. We shouldn't be so eager to return to the grave just yet."

A length of coils came forward, like a limb of some sort, which went out and gently touched against Shiva the way a man might extend an arm to a friend and try to turn her around, so that she could walk with him back the way they had come. Shiva was reluctant to go along with this. However, in the end, she did turn and went with him as he began to lead her back.

"Did you say we should separate?" He asked her. "Perhaps that would be wise. We can maintain contact with each other easily enough, and I'm sure you wish to go to the poles just as Ifrit wishes to go to a volcano…"

"You said there was no contingency for what might be coming." Shiva interrupted, her own voice still dark and grim and turning back to the previous subject. "What do we do if your theory comes true?"

Leviathan came to a halt after that, but only for a moment. Shiva looked to him. After a moment of a blank stare out into space, his own look became grave as well. He turned to Shiva in response.

"It's best not to think of that." Leviathan simply answered. "As I've told you time and time again…it does not do well to dwell on matters of which you are utterly powerless to stop or alter should they come to pass."

The End


End file.
